As Silence Falls
by Bunnies ate my baby
Summary: Sequel to 'The Recruits' Jessica is now on her own, battling against the world that is so suddenly against her. A Plot is being derived to take down the Company, how can the recruits survive through this?
1. Chapter 1

This is the sequel to 'The Recruits' you don't need to read that to get this, but it helps

* * *

AS SILENCE FALLS

It had all started so innocently.

Love had blossomed where it should have not been capable to bloom; yet they had their own little way to keep it together.

Things hadn't been so complicated back then, lands to conquer, blood to spill while the woman were kept back home in their shadowy stone houses with their meek slaves.

But he had been different and that was the thing that had attracted her to him. The smile, the air of confidence where there should have been a docile obedience and also the wisdom that showed in his eyes.

There were whispers she heard from her personal maids, things about an old soul, about remembering lives before his present one. But that had been back then, when the unexplained could stay like that, where monsters in the shadows were allowed to hide, not hunted or tracked down.

It was a time of naivety and innocence, a time of easy explanations.

A time when a creature of the nightworld fell in love with a man lower than her kind. Someone that could rip away the sweet threads of her life that she had been sewing so delicately for so long now.

But she had let him so lovingly.

She had screamed when she had found him dead.

He had been her only love, a human that had not been enough for her family; a point that they only showed in his demise.

She had screamed and cried and lashed out and they had stood there cold.

So she had run, ran away with her guilt and the unborn half-breed in her womb.

* * *

"Welcome to paradise," Mia muttered as the car pulled up beside the college grounds. 

Jessica tried not to laugh, "Nice," she couldn't lie, compared to the compound this was like a country retreat. The grounds were mostly green with the tree and plant life and the building were set back as students strolled by. Compared to her old life this was a breath of fresh air, the company at last was giving her a little freedom.

Freedom that didn't taste as good as it should have, she had lost her boyfriend and her faith in friendship to get their permission for this. Once she was useless for their method of teaming partners up with each other the only thing left for her was to send her off to a remote destination and leave her to do all the work that no one else wanted to do.

Things had changed too much in the last year and she was happy that she was as far away as possible. She looked aside to her to Mia and smiled, "so where's my abode then?"

Mia blue eyes twinkled, enjoying the fact that Jess was happy for once, "there's a shared house that is owned by this sweet witch," Mia started the engine again and started off down the road, "you'll get your own room but you'll be sharing the house with two other students and Matilda."

They round the corner and freshly cut lawns passed their view, white picket fences with the childhood dream houses behind them, "Matilda's the witch I was telling you about. She's a sweet lady; she's in her late thirties and doesn't force you to mingle with the others if you don't want to. The Company is paying the rent and other costs so you don't have to worry about a thing. I wish I was getting to go to college."

Jess just looked at her, she wished she was too, out of all of this the scariest thought was starting this all on her own, when for the last twelve years she'd had all her friends from her group constantly around her. Settling in here without the others was going to be strange, she was just happy that the Company was paying her cell phone calls; she was going to be phoning back home a lot.

Home, the thought flashed in her mind, she hadn't really realized until now that she hadn't really had one.

They stopped outside a rickety house; wooden beams seemed to be holding it up with weatherworn panels giving the house its other appealing feature. A warm scent of flowers filled her senses at she noticed that the garden was filled with them and lofty trees. Out of the whole neighbourhood they had just driven through, this house stuck out like a sore thumb and she liked it instantly.

She got out of the car in awe and stared out at it, she would be living here? Well at least things were starting out at a good point; she turned around to Mia who was beaming at her.

"Pretty cool, hey?"

Jess couldn't do anything but agree as she nodded dumbfounded.

As Mia went around to the back of the car she got out all her luggage, Jess went round to help her. She hadn't got a lot of stuff, some clothes, her CD's and some old photos. Just no matter what she did these days she couldn't bring her self to throw them away, Ryan's face would beam out at her and all she could feel was bitter deceit, yet she still kept them.

No matter how much she had made herself hate him over the last year she couldn't erase the little things, the way his past was entwined with hers. No matter how she tried he would always be there, it didn't matter if it wasn't physical he had helped her become who she was and to erase him completely meant that she would have to erase her past and she wasn't exactly sure she could do that.

Remembering to pick up her small stereo from the back seat Jess hung her bag from her shoulder and walked behind Mia to the looming house. She could see herself fitting in here, just not with the people. She had never been taught how to socialise properly with outsiders, kill them, kidnap them and in some cases even seduce them but never friendship, they had seen that as a risk that they didn't want to take, so Jess had to forego that courtesy.

It didn't used to bother her but she always had the ten others she trained with and had never wished to make friends with anyone else, but things had changed. A lot of things had changed and no matter how much she kept telling herself it was for the better it still didn't stop the aching feeling inside.

But that was the past and she had promised herself that was where it would stay.

Mia knocked on the wooden door and waited patiently for an answer. Juggling her possessions Jess surveyed her surroundings, so this would be her hauntings for the next few months. At least it would be an easy area to get lost in, easy place to hide bodies; she couldn't help but smile to herself. Even when she was away from the Company she was thinking about work.

Jess swung around as the door was answered and a vibrant woman stood before them smiling, all Jess could do was blink frantically at her. She wore a bright orange dress with a yellow flower pattern on it, with a warm smile she welcomed them in.

All she could do was guess that it was Matilda; the woman had the grounded look about her that all witches seemed to have inherited. It was that and the fact that she wore a silver necklace with her name etched upon it.

"Welcome,"

Jess looked at the woman, her new landlady and wondered if she knew the truth or if like the others she believed the lies that the Company dished out for her. Brought up by someone in the Nightworld was the main one that was why she knew so much, but people always grew suspicious.

"Thank you," what else could she say, the 'do you realise what you're getting yourself into?' wasn't always the best line.

"I'll show you to your room, follow me,"

They followed the woman down the hallway and up the stairs, the place smelled of lavender and flowers she couldn't recognise, it smelled nice, welcoming almost. It smelt like home.

The room was at the top of the stairs and just off to the right, it was large and was painted a cream colour but that wasn't the real thing that took her attention it was the view from the window, the garden that stretched out the back and languidly met up to an entrance of a forest.

She hadn't seen the forest from the front of the house and the drive up here, the houses must have sheltered it from view. She felt Matilda at her side; "it runs about a couple of miles wide and about three across, all the houses on this row cover it from sight. I thought you would appreciate the view."

Jess felt it wasn't the right time to ask why.

Matilda left her where she was, dropping some keys on the table for her she made her leave. It was odd being here after all this time, doing something normal when her life had been nothing like it. She felt a twinge of guilt as Mia came up behind her and whistled as she saw the view out of the window.

"Well at least one of us is living in luxury." It was a partial lie of course; Mia lived in a very expensive apartment block that cost the Company more than imaginable. But overall it was a minor percentage from what the Company earned from her, what seemed from the outside a well-paid and luxurious job was really peanuts from the money that was really earned.

Jessica shrugged and looked back over to her best friend, "what am I doing?"

Mia laughed at her, "Exactly what you should be, we've all grounded you down enough. You deserve this even if it is only part time retirement."

"Part time retirement, you make me sound old."

For her own part Mia held her tongue, they were all old and that was saying it simply. What they did made them so; people should only have ghosts following them when they're near enough to being one themselves. All of their associates had a league of them already; it was hard to look through to the future when the things that haunted you clouded your path.

"We're still young," was all Mia could mutter, "Still got time."

Time for what was the only thing.

Jess nodded and sat herself down on the bed, "I'm going to miss you, all of you."

They both knew the truth; this was a type of goodbye. Things always had a habit of sneaking up on them. In the last year they had lost two associates out of the company, excluding Ryan's insubordination. None of them had been in the same training year as them but the hurt had still been felt, something was going on within the company, they could feel it within their bones.

"Me too."

Jess looked at her friend and gave her a wobbly smile.

It took her a while to settle in, to say goodbye to Mia as she drove off. Most probably back to Gunner and a life that Jessica would barely be involved in anymore. She didn't know what to do afterwards; she just sat there looking out of her bedroom window as the sun slowly sunk from the sky.

She eventually resigned to the fact that she would have to go down stairs as she heard laughter float up. If she was any other girl she would have been scared, it was a big thing to move into a house full of absolute strangers.

But to Jessica it all seemed silly, why would she have to be afraid of them for? They would only be people, night worlders, but still people. She had drawn many deathblows to their kind in the past; the pretence of her fear was no longer needed.

The floorboards should have creaked as she went down the stairs but she had already figured out its quiet parts as she dragged all her belongings up earlier. So she walked down and followed the sound of the laughter to the end of the house and into a light and airy kitchen that smelled of distinctive concoctions, she hadn't been friends with Mia for so long and not pick up a few things.

Matilda and two more girls sat around and old oak table, sipping tea and gossiping. She had been standing there over two minutes until any of them realised that she was there. Matilda's eye's flickered up and a warm smile covered her face.

"Jessica."

With that the two others turned around. They were both pretty she supposed, both pretty and night world. It was a rarity if you ever saw an ugly night worlder, a rarity and bad luck.

The first introduced herself as Millie and she was a lamia. She had pale creamy skin, blue eyes and the long brown hair. Millie seemed such a childish name to Jessica, but seeing Millie now, she was nothing but childish. She was eighteen and every boy's fantasy, long legs, curves all in the right places and that special little touch. Her eyes that somehow held all those little promises men would burn over.

And then there was Eve; she wasn't much as attractive as Millie. Eve wore small spectacles with clear intelligent brown eyes underneath. She was a witch like Mia, but in Jessica's eyes less impressive. She had long silky brown hair down to her waist and wore it in a braid; Jessica could imagine all the boys having their eyes on these two.

She was hoping that maybe that wouldn't have the same speculation about her, Jessica was pretty. She knew that and in many assignments had used that to advantage. But it was different now. She didn't want to be chased because of her looks; she simply didn't want to be chased at all.

She knew deep down that her heart still mourned for Ryan and it was going to take her still a long to recover from him. It was always Ryan these days; no matter where her thoughts started they always ended with him. It had been nearly a year now and it still hurt.

But hearts first love and all that other crap, she had tried to rationalise it in her brain for so long now, some how to make the pain go away. But it hadn't, she might be cold on the outside but on the inside a fire burned, a fire earning for what was once hers.

Somehow now that could never be.

She turned her attention back to the others settled around the table and sat down to join them. They sat in silence for a couple of moments, unsure what to say and how to say it.

"So…" Millie started weakly, "how are you finding it here."

"Quiet," Jess stated, a smile curling on her face, "I'm a city girl; I'm used to the throng of people and the herds of cars. This is going to take me a while to get used to."

Eve smiled, "yeah, I used to live in a big town before this. It takes a couple of weeks to get used to the fact there's no street lights and no one around the corner to mug you and the fact anything hardly ever happens."

Millie huffed a sign of disbelief, "apart from the random vigilante killings."

Jessica's eyebrows rose, the Company had mentioned a small job that she would have to do before settling in. "hunters?"

"We think," Matilda uneasily fiddled with the edge of the table cloth, "they only attack night worlders so you should be alright… but I'd work on the way you walk if I was you. I wouldn't want them to get the wrong idea."

The conversation took a swift divert, "so who brought you up," quizzed Eve as she glanced over to Millie, "I mean Matilda filled us in about you knowing about us and stuff."

"Shifters," she lied easily.

She had already run this through with Ivy who had run it through with Kyle for believability, even though he had retired Kyle was still there as an advisor for Ivy as she slowly shifted into the demands of her work. Once the story they ran through was convincing enough and ingrained well into Jess's memory a memo was sent out to every assassin so they never tripped up when asked about her. From now on this was going to be her new identity.

"I had problems at home when I was a kid and they took me in, easy as that," she shrugged, "they had a few council problems because of it in the end and emigrated a year back."

They all nodded as if they believed her and eventually settled into some more trivial conversation. Trivial enough that Jess got bored and made good enough reason for her to leave, she trailed her way upstairs and locked herself in her room.

This was going to have to be her new home and even though it seemed bland and superficial, she was going to have to get used to it.

From a life of killing and extreme life and death experiences, her life had turned to this. Something she would have to get used to.

So, a normal life, what a change this would be.

Just hopefully this would be for the good.

* * *

Chapter One 

Tristan life was anything but normal, a man born with memories not of his own and haunted by past mistakes and grudges.

Longing for a lover he knew that was long gone. He had known about the nightworld even before he could construct coherent thoughts. He knew and feared them, fear that had slowly turned into hate.

He had let it consume him, this hatred that had no way to escape except by hurting the people around him. So he had done the only thing he could do. He had left and went to make a life for himself.

Left his parents' dead bodies sprawled upon the floor and their life savings gone. He had once had a heart but from past life experiences he had found out the consequences of it. He didn't like the idea of ending this life by being knifed again; he wanted to believe that he had learnt from past mistakes.

But a heart's wanton desires seem anything but reckless and he had thought he was alive then and especially when she was within his arms, but within a flicker of a blade that had all ended. So this life was spent tying up ends of old grudges, using the night world's own children against them.

It hadn't been easy, he had to be trained so he was good enough to deceive the night worlders, deceive them both mentally and physically. He had to prove to himself first that the night worlders weren't invincible and he had with ease. Standing over the fallen bodies, still waiting for that crucial feeling where he would feel triumph soar through him.

The feeling had never come so he had let the empty feeling consume him; he had soon found other people keen enough to join his cause though and his company had slowly built itself up and the first recruits all marked out.

He had thought upon the consequences of his actions, sure he had. The deaths and the empty hearts of the parents, he had tried not to think about it too much, other things always seemed to take prerogative. The night worlders were a menace and needed a lesson taught to them, it wasn't until it was too late that he realised what he had turned into.

* * *

Jessica twiddled with the handle of her knife as she waited for her next target to turn up. She had everything planned out, her bait was in view and the target had been killing in this area for the last two weeks, she knew because she had been watching her. 

She was good, good but over confident in many ways. She already knew where her weak points were in her attacks and knew how to catch her out every time. The only complexity now was the decision if she was going to wait until the bait had been killed or go in and save the day.

There was a problem with each case was that if she let the bait get killed she would have two bodies to get rid of and if not, well she never wore a mask and wasn't going to start anytime soon. The guy would see her either as a vigilante heroine and thus gaining her unnecessary attention or to the other extreme he could think she was another hunter who just happened to have a grudge against the former.

The way her mind was going she wanted to go with her first thoughts, the last two weeks here had been fine, mainly because she kept out of everyone's way. She had never put herself down as a solitary type of person before, but she had never really had a choice in the compound.

She watched the guy wandering the area, keeping her presence to the shadows. She hadn't seen him before and was new to the area; a perfect choice for her target. The target was a girl who was in her art class. It had taken only a couple of hours in her presence to guess what she was. The girl was no good at suppressing her anger and disgust; it was just a pity for her that the college was widely populated with night worlders.

That was one of the main reasons for coming here; she had never really felt at ease in the company of humans, her own kind and a bunch of people she couldn't understand.

The problem for the girl was that she couldn't bring attention to herself. She had been targeting rogue and solitary night worlders for now but her supply of them were getting low. This new guy would be a perfect chance for the girl and a chance for Jess to end this tiring charade.

She just wanted the girl dead; it wasn't like anyone would have noticed anyway. Hunters were mainly orphans or humans who had been treated unkindly by their own kind when they were children. All they were was just scared, hurt children trying to lash out in anyway possible.

The only difference with them was that they lashed out at the most dangerous race on the planet, a time bomb linked with their own mortality. They knew what type of life they were getting themselves into and yet they were always shocked when someone came to give them their death penalty.

And Jessica had simply laughed at them as they had pleaded with her; they had expected her to be lenient with them because they were of the same race. They hadn't given the night worlders that same courtesy so she didn't see why she had to give it to them.

A dark figure entered from beside one of the warehouses and slunk back into the shadows. Jess recognised her target and joyfully leant against the wall as she waited for the climatic fight scene, she tried to hold back a yawn.

And the lamia just dutifully stood there as if he was waiting for a bus, didn't the guy have a life, come on? This was far too easy for the hunter.

The hunter had snuck behind him like a child mischievously coming up towards a blind beggar to steal his collection money and yet she still approached and the dark haired lamia stood there unaware.

Jess suddenly felt she was at a pantomime and had a terrible urge to shout out that she was behind him in a ridiculously shrill voice yet she obediently bit the urge down.

And when the hunter was just inches away the lamia swung round and grabbed her by the throat and all Jess did was lift her eyebrows in surprise, she hadn't expected him to be that good. Maybe it hadn't been a bus he had been waiting for but his next meal.

She watched the hunter squirm and lash out, but the guy had a vice like grip and the more she squirmed the tighter it got, Jessica fascinated watched as the hunter battled for breath. And when she was exhausted his grip lessoned, he had swung her head back and had gone for the jugular, literally.

Jessica had always seen Gunner feed and all the other of her fellow recruits, seen Ryan hunt so this didn't bother her. Her only main concern was if he was going to drain her dry or just wipe her memory and let her walk off. The problem with hunters though was that they were resilient to most forms of telepathy and of course Jess would still have to finish off the job if he didn't do it for her.

Within minutes the girl was dropped to the floor and Jessica walked out of the shadows. The lamia shuddered back in surprise when he eventually saw her. She hadn't realised how handsome he was, but they were all handsome and that was the dangerous lure.

Beauty always came with a cost with them. Ebony eyes beamed at her that were set back in pale creamy skin. He was like a dark prince; it was just the scars running down his neck and arms that ruined the image.

"So I can guess you're here to kill me too," his voice was smooth and if not annoyed would have been hypnotic.

Jessica shook her head, relaxed now in the knowledge that she shouldn't underestimate him, she looked down at the body and nudged it with her foot, "well actually I was here to kill that, but as you seemed to have done the job for me," she shrugged and turned to walk away.

"Wait!"

Jessica stopped and stared at him, knowing what he saw in her face. The same thing she saw every morning in the mirror, the thing she couldn't believe was her.

"As you seem to be apt at this. I guess you have a place for me to dump this body. Let's just say it's giving a helping hand to the new person in town."

She had only dug the hole that morning, all her hard work for nothing did seem a bit pathetic when there was nothing to put in it. "Ok, follow me. Pick that up," she pointed at the body, "I've got a grave that needs filling in the forest, it's a couple of minutes this way." She paused and looked at him intently, "you're filling it in though."

Without waiting for his answer she turned and led the way.

* * *

Mia turned her key in Gunner's door lock and opened the door smoothly. She had been trying to contact him for the last two hours and both his phones had just rung relentlessly. She had eventually resided to the fact she would have to wake the lazy moron herself and make up an excuse for being late for their briefing this morning. 

The place was a mess as always, the blinds all drawn down. The only thing she hated about this place was the dank darkness; Gunner didn't have a likening towards the morning sun like herself and in the end they had made an uneasy compromise. She wouldn't complain about the darkness and the mess and he wouldn't comment on the bright sunshine and the silver decor.

She trailed towards his bedroom and opened the door, she knew she shouldn't have been shocked but something was drawn from her when she saw the girl asleep half naked cuddled up to Gunner. She coughed and Gunners eyes flickered open instantaneously and focused upon her and then silence seemed to blanket them. His eyes flickered from the girl beside him to Mia.

He had a guilty look on his face, Mia didn't know why. It wasn't like he had betrayed her, they were friends, Mia wasn't going to make the same mistake as Jessica. However much she loved Gunner, she wasn't going to twist the emotion into something deeper.

Jessica had done it because they had both needed each other and they had worked well, but only for a while.

She raised her eyebrows, "I'm been calling. We've been called in and we're running late. I'm going back to the car; you have ten minutes at the most to get ready."

And she trailed her way out and back down to the ground floor and back to her car. However much she separated herself from Gunner's love life, it still hurt when she saw him with other girls. The thing was that Gunner wasn't hers and never would be, they were friends, best friends and maybe that was the problem.

She had a bad feeling that she wouldn't be able deal if some girl took that away from her, she shook her head and tried to quell down the jealousy. That was the problem when she only had a few people you could rely on, a few people but really only but one.

Gunner had always been there for her and she had been the same for him, even when Ryan left and the Company had turned into chaos for a while, they were still alright because they had each other.

And yet she knew the time would come, she wasn't a witch for nothing and she could feel it in her bones, like the inevitable of her visions. And yet it was only a feeling, not anything etched into stone; the car door swung open and Gunner sat himself down.

He looked over to her in silence and a strained smile covered his face and she just shook her head, she didn't need this. "They rang me a couple of hours ago, just a small assignment."

And she started the car and drove to the compound in silence, nothing to say to each other; either that or they just didn't know how to say it.

They had found themselves walking to Ivy's office. A wedge set between them from actions that shouldn't have been able to hurt them.

Gunner stopped and pulled Mia back, "Mia?"

"Gunner we're running late!"

"Then it won't matter if we've a couple of minutes more, will it?" his eyes were too old and knowledgeable and right then regretful, "what you saw…"

"Has nothing to do with me, remember we already had this conversation a while back?"

"You're being unfair, it has everything to do with you, you're my best friend and for most of the time my only one. You have every right to know who I'm with and with not and I know it's all my fault right now that you're not talking to me."

"Yes, you're right it is your fault. This is the fourth time I've had to come round your place because you don't answer your damn phone, we have cell phones for a reason, you remember that right?"

He nodded his head, eyes darting everywhere but on her.

She pushed her way past him, "next time if you don't answer your phone I'm leaving with out you, understand?"

"Of course I do but Mia?"

"But Mia what?"

"We're a team, remember that? Don't be angry with me please?" and he gave her that look, that look that he knew would pierce through her armour and as always she fell for it.

Her face softened and a smile lightened it, "come on, we're running late."

* * *

People with souls were not meant to murder, she knew this and heard the argument many times. Yet none of this stopped her from doing what she did. 

Tormented at times she might be, but a fool she was not. Giving up her trade meant a death sentence and no matter how much she had accepted death over the years and accepted it as inevitable, she didn't really want to attract the catalyst that would set it off.

She had left the stranger to fill in the hunter's grave on his own and had headed back home, had crept upstairs to the comfort and hiding place of her room. She would need to phone Ivy and explain the situation, tell them what had happened. All but where she had interacted with the lamia, that would be a punishable act if she let that out.

The Company didn't really like the thought of night worlders or really anyone influencing their assassins and even though she knew how unorthodox the Company was and how they would give up an assassins' life within a second thought. The loyalty she was brought up with was still there, a loyalty that overrode the cynicism and instinct that had told her to run, exactly as Ryan had done.

Her thoughts changed direction again as she handled the matter in hand. Matilda had caught up with her this morning and had recruited her for some garden work this afternoon; she had met Matilda in the kitchen where she had produced some clippers and some garden gloves.

"Some things need pruning," she had simple stated and obediently Jessica followed her out into the garden.

Even though Matilda was a witch and loved the earth and everything that grew on it she hadn't taken a fancy on learning all the plants names. So by Matilda's terms she had started out shaping the big bushy greenish thing and then moved on to cutting the dead parts off the purple spangled flower.

It was sweet to tell the truth. Matilda was a mother figure that she had never had. The training had all been about strength and survival, that and also deceit and many other manipulative lessons.

Matilda had started speaking, so Jessica looked up and keyed herself into the real world once again.

"I knew Kyle once."

Jessica had to blink several times before she realised who she was speaking about, "are you speaking about the Kyle I think you are?"

"Kyle Richards," Matilda nodded and a light entered her eyes, "he was several years older then me and it was a very fleeting affair. I was nightworld of course and he had seen too much of this world to keep to his own anymore."

"Why hadn't it worked?"

Matilda smiled, "his work, there was never any other excuse. It was that and I wanted Children and we had been together for a while then and I thought we were ready. But that was never going to happen; truthfully I think he was afraid."

Jess sat there in stunned silence, from a woman she thought who had easily swallowed the Company's lies she had been swung completely around to see the true light of it.

"I don't I've ever seen Kyle afraid," Jessica had admitted to her.

Matilda shook her head and sat back on the lush green grass, "you have to remember the death Kyle has seen and all of them children not strong enough to survive. Me giving birth to his baby meant that he would admit that he loved something and love to him was weakness."

Her eyes met Jessica's and in her heart Jess knew that Kyle had missed out on something when he left her, "but it happened for a reason I suppose, I guess Kyle is happy or he would have never made the decision."

Jessica nodded to her and tried to keep the background noise to a minimum as she heard Millie at the end of the garden talking to someone or from the sounds of it showing them around.

She caught Matilda's attention again, "so you know what I am?"

She nodded, "I'm no fool Jessica and if I didn't I would have guessed. You've made a good job rounding up those hunters."

Jessica had gotten three so far, well two excluding last nights one. Millie's voice got louder intruding on her thoughts.

"And this is the garden," she could hear her sing, "oh and of course this is Matilda my landlady and Jessica our newest housemate."

They both swung around, Jessica getting to her feet and giving Matilda a helping hand, it was only when Millie and her friend were a couple of feet away was when Jess realised her mistake.

The Lamia from the night before stood in front of her, shocked as herself. She could see it in his eyes and from the sudden amusement on his face she guessed he could see it in hers as well.

"This is my brother Trey," Millie exclaimed affectionately, "he's been away for a while, but he still comes in and visits me. He's planning on staying around for a bit."

"Really," Jessica looked across at Matilda who was already in the act of mothering the lamia. But now she looked at Millie and Trey together, she couldn't believe how she could have missed it the night before. The hair might have been a bit darker and instead of the sweet blue eyes he had compelling ebony ones, but the familiarity was there.

Etched in the curve of their nose and the mischievous looks in their eyes, they were siblings and there was no doubting it. She could almost feel the protectiveness that was welling out of him, she just shook her head and laughed and walked away.

However much she put the humans, her own kind in lower value then the night worlders she still was in earnest that the night worlders were as petty as anyone.

She sat down at the kitchen table and poured herself out some juice that had been put on the side in a jug with ice. They all made their way in a couple of minutes later, Matilda giving Jess one of her concerned looks while Millie chatted away oblivious.

She didn't need this, all she wanted to do was to be able to carry on with her life with normality and at least pretend that everything was going to turn all right this time. Trey was just another person to put a spanner in the works; she could see it in his eyes.

So she waited patiently, it took two hours until they got a moment to themselves. Jess had wandered out into the garden and started pruning the spangle plant thing again and as a daunting shadow Trey was standing behind her, she smiled and tried not to look like she was expecting this.

"If you touch my sister…"

Jessica just sneered, "Why in hell would you think I would want to? Trey, that's your name right?" he nodded at her, his eyes trying to bore holes in her, but unfortunately for him weren't even searing the surface. "Well Trey, I don't kill people unless assigned to first, but me with my temper," she gave him a deadpan look, "why don't you go and get your self a life?"

Trey just laughed back, "you know what, you don't look like a killer. But looks can be deceiving I know that even if some don't." His eyes blazed for a moment, "my sister is very valuable to me, if you hurt her I will come hunt you down."

Jess glared back, "what in hell makes you think you'd have a chance?"

His arms swung out as if to unbalance her, Jess easily slipped out of the way and stepped out in front of him. Too close for him to swing out at her and close enough for her to block any other attack.

Silence cloaked them for a moment, dead eyes warring.

Millie's voice calling out to him made him step back and wander back into the house, Jess just shook her head and turned back around and turned her attention back to the plants.

Trey was a fool, Jessica had no intention of harming Millie or anyone around her, but Trey was running away from something.

And even at that moment as she realised the fact she let the thought simmer inside of herself. He was running, she could tell that now by the look in his eyes and the words Millie had used.

The only problem with that was, now that he had stopped when would the pursuers turn up?

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Mia stood there icily as she watched Gunner with the new 'love' of his life. The thought sickened her and knew this little fancy of his would only last a couple of months at most. But while he was busy with this, it meant that she was left on the sideline like a disobedient child trying to win back a parent's approval.

And she would put up with it, because that was what she always did. But even as she watched him from afar and slowly turned her back on him to walk away she knew that this time would be different. She wouldn't have Jessica here to help her wade through all the crap that Gunner would pass her way through this little relationship.

No, she wouldn't be his emotional punch bag for this little experience. She had enough of this, had enough of Gunner being happy when she was sat miserable at the side, staring in hostilely.

She needed a new partner, someone she could rely on. That or just a boyfriend would be good.

* * *

Elizabeth sat and watched her son run about in the garden as she contemplated upon their future. Five years had passed since she had run from her family with her horrific secret kept safe in her womb. But now this would be different.

They were Lamia, her son a half-breed maybe but she had brought him up the way she had been and from the looks of it was no different then any other.

He would need to learn to lie, that or he wouldn't know. But hiding the truth from him wouldn't always work so she would have to prepare him for it just in case he over reacted. How would she introduce him into the nightworld again, would they be able to tell?

She couldn't but maybe that was just wistful thinking. No, everything had to be alright, all right for her and her son. It had to be.

She smiled as he ran up to her with open arms; she swung him around as his screeching laughter filled the air.

She could handle lying for to the nightworld and everyone else for him and in time he would understand, understand what he was and why she had done it.

He would have to because she didn't know what she would do if he turned out like the people who had destroyed his father, for he was her only reason for living now.

* * *

Jessica had spent the last week trying to avoid Trey with his insidious looks and glares. He had approached the point of annoying, people who had walked over that line normally didn't live that long, Jess knew that she should just ignore him and like anyone he would eventually go away.

But like an unrepentant stalker he hadn't. She had been trying to size up the last known hunter in the area, but him following her whenever she went out did really put the success on her assignment on a level that wasn't really worth getting out of bed for.

She would kill him, but there was Millie to think about and she was a sweet girl, even if she weren't that bright and of course if she did she would have to explain to the company why.

Another problem, it wasn't what she needed but as usual things had happened on their own accord. She sighed, twiddling with the hilt of her knife. Trey came into view again as he tried to track her through the old warehouse, she had sat herself in one of the rafters and as many predators he hadn't figures out yet that not all hunters attacked by ground.

If she couldn't kill him she would teach him a lesson, the place was well insulated and unlikely draw themselves any unwanted attention. She tried to stifle a yawn as he neared her position, she rejoiced in the fact that he couldn't sense her anywhere; the company had turned her into a hybrid human with all the luxury trimmings, no life force included.

She dropped down behind him as he passed her position and knocked him on the back of the head and watched him fall unconscious. She was tired with all this; all she wanted was to be left alone. But she knew want you wanted you never got.

She searched him for weapons and pocketed each one; unceremoniously sitting on his chest she brought out one of her knives and started sharpening it.

* * *

The plans had come so lovingly together. Kyle had waited a short time after Ryan's leaving to start them but it had gone ahead and death after death the company was slowly falling apart. It had taken them nine months to figure out something was wrong but by that time seven people had died.

All Seven of them were irreplaceable, all of them took knowledge with them that the company had needed in times of pressure and Kyle had been on the outside, smiling smugly as he had coffee with Ivy as she anxiously discussed it.

The thing was, he really needed to kill only one more person to bring an avalanche down on the company.

But Tristan Gully was a ghost now, not literally of course but to the knowledge where he was, well that was near impossible to get. Kyle had served the Company for over forty years and had only met the man once and that was when he had been promoted to his last position.

Gully had a presence of a man that you knew that you could never overpower. Somehow Kyle would have to get near to him or at least find out where he lived or spend most of his time so he could get someone that could.

Gully had started the Company from nothing and had slowly drifted into the background when he had eventually gotten what he had wanted. Kyle would find and if not bring everyone else down around the man, Kyle had put too much into this to be stopped by something like this.

He would be in this until the end; he had to be for there was nothing else for him now.

* * *

Trey woke to a grinding noise in his ears and a heavy weight on his chest, his eyes blurrily focused on Jessica's face.

"Evening," she muttered nonchalantly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," he tried to squirm and push her off but she sat there, unmoved.

"I'm teaching you a lesson."

He could see the knife gleam and he had to try to stop the resurface of the memories of how he had gained his scars. From experience he kept quiet.

"You see I don't go round killing people," she chuckled at that, "well only the ones I'm told to and the thing I haven't been told with you lot so I don't understand your concern. I know, I know," she waved her hand at him, "I'm human you think I have this big hatred towards night worlders. The thing is, it's the total opposite you see. I can't even bring up apathy for my own race and you're going over that point where I can accommodate your behaviour anymore."

"So what are you going to do?"

"You see I'm not a bad person; I'm not going to kill you even though I did think about it. But Millie would be upset and the Company wouldn't be that impressed either, so if you want we can be enemies and I can build up a habit of knocking you out so I can carry out my assignments or we can become friends, we can call a truce."

"How will I know you'll keep to it?"

"You're not dead are you?"

He laughed, "I'm sure that's something to be thankful for and Millie?"

"She's a friend; no one is going to touch her, not in my Company anyway. And if anyone does they'll have me to deal with and I have no doubt, you'll be by her side as well."

Stretching her legs out, Jessica finally made the move to stand up; winded Trey still lay there, "So no more being a stalker?"

She held out her hand, not only to help him up but also to seal their truce.

He grudgingly nodded and took it as she pulled him up, "deal," he agreed.

* * *

With swearwords that any old lady would have winced at Mia threw the telephone across the room, how dare he? After the warning she had given him last time and now, she knew it, he was ignoring his calls as he lay in bed with his little girlfriend.

This would be the second assignment she would do alone, going into the Compound and telling Ivy that he would meet up with her, lying to the Company! Gunner knew the type of punishments you could get for that.

She had told him all this a couple of days a go and he had done that look, she hadn't fallen for it that time. Everything seemed to be falling apart, where was the guy she used to know? In bed with that little slut was the answer.

Deciding she didn't need him, she collected her keys and changed her clothes; she would go to the Company like last time and do it herself. Gunner needed a kick in the head and if he did this again it wasn't going to be a light kick either.

* * *

Tristan sat in his country retreat and looked over the files, the deaths had been unnerving. If only he could find the traitor, that way at least he could stop it before it got too bad.

But as he looked around what he had earned with his blood money he didn't know why he shouldn't just let it fall away now. He had earned so much, his bank account and his lifestyle and of course, but there was another part.

He had let the anger and resentment fall away a long time ago. If he just let this traitor go unchecked it could all end then and there and he would have one less thing to worry about.

But he knew the truth, he saw the pattern in the deaths, higher and higher ranks were killed and the only rational answer was that he was going to be last.

He had faced death too many times and had felt the result of it many times, being an old soul had its drawbacks. Now that he had set out his life and his was in the last few years of it, he knew that once he came back he would have to redo all this again.

Maybe not in the same way, but undeniable with the same dreariness, he had seen enough in this life. He didn't want another when he could relive it all again.

He sighed and flicked through more of the files.

* * *

"Love,"

A deep sigh echoed around her and Jessica shook her, "why would you want to know about something like that?"

"Because it's something like that, that rules the way of our lives, without it we would be hollow and empty. So have you ever been in love?"

Jessica looked at her housemate and wondered if she really wanted to open the old wound. But she had grown close to Millie in the last few weeks and trust was part of the whole deal.

And from the looks of it she needed a reality check on the whole passé of the idea.

"Yes, very much so, but he betrayed me, ripped my heart apart. And because I loved him so much I was hollow and empty, love isn't as grand as it's made out to be in novels and movies you know. It hurts and no matter what we do, we have no control over it, it's fifty, fifty I suppose. You can either be ripped apart and left to bleed by it or simply be the happiest person in the world, it's a pity the world's not more black and white in context."

"What do you mean by that?"

Jess looked at Millie for a while and sighed, for a girl her own age she seemed pretty clueless, but she hadn't been through the things she had. "A lot of people have locked views where they view the world in black and white, good and evil, love and hate. But the thing is no one seems to see that it isn't like that. The world is filled with shades of grey. No one is purely evil, they have emotions and they are reason's for the things they do."

Millie shook her head, "but some people do it merely from hate, that's an evil emotion."

Jess laid her hands flat on the table, palms turned up. If only Millie knew all the innocent blood she had shed, "hate," she shrugged, "hate blossoms from misunderstanding and what people can't understand they fear and want to destroy. It's the way of the world, not only the night world. It's the same in reverse as well, no one is ever really truly good either, there are always hidden agendas, either that or mental problems."

"Jessica, you're merely a cynic."

"True. But if you'd seen what I have then you would be too. I'm more of a realist then a cynic." She stated, finally realising it.

And silence filled the room, "and so help me God, I would never want to find out."

Jess' head shot up in shock, her brow creased she looked over to her friend, "what do you mean?"

"I'm not stupid Jessica; I know something's happened to you and whatever it was. It was really bad. It has to be." She finished in barely a whisper.

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't think it I know. Here," she sighed and shook her head, "here, the night people fear you. The human with no life force, the one that walks like us, fast, wild, beautiful and yet we see it. In your eyes I mean, you will never give up, a rigid determination is set within you and knowledge that even my kind find scary. As you just said we're all afraid of the unknown and that's what you've turned up as."

"I'm not as bad as they think," she rubbed her forehead with agitation, so her pretences had never worked. So that was a big waste of time then.

"I know that and everyone that knows you thinks that as well," Millie smiled at her, "Once I got to know you, even though you're the biggest cynic I know. I would never regret being your friend and the high regard Trey holds you in. it takes a lot to impress him and you didn't have to do anything."

Jess looked away at that, she only had to threaten him and sit on his chest until he succumbed to the idea. But now that they were, she understood his wariness of her before. He had been through hell before he had made it to this point and all to protect his family and the one he loved.

All because of Millie and a shady guy who happened to be obsessed with her. It was a complicated story and she didn't know the details of it, he had promised one day that he would fill her in on it and of course Millie was oblivious of it. Sure that Trey had already dealt with it.

And Jessica was sure that her life was complicated, it was strange when you go a sneak into someone else's. It's strange, that way she didn't feel so alone in her struggle against her own.

She shrugged away her thoughts as the doorbell rung, both running to get it; Jess playfully pushed Millie out of the way as she doggedly opened the door.

Shock played on her face as Hira stood before her with his roguish smile, "hello honey, how are you doing?"

Jessica beamed and gave him a massive hug as he swung her around.

Hira was one of the assassins from the Company, but luckily for her he had adopted her as his kid sister. He looked twenty-five yet was well over fifty, he had charm ooze out of every pore and if wasn't an assassin would have been the world's best-liked guy.

Best liked and one of the best looking as well, Hira had been there for her when Ryan had left and from past experience he knew what it was like to lose a partner. The difference was that his one died while serving the company, but he had helped her anyway.

Millie waited behind them for some sort of explanation, because the thing was to her, Jess was still the human brought up by Shape shifters, so how did she get to know another Lamia? Jess turned, still in shock that Hira had bothered to visit and turned to Millie and Jess saw it automatically as Millie took in Hira's appearance more.

Hira was gorgeous; it was simple as that, from what he had told her he had been picked up from a night world's children's home and because of his mixed heritage he had been dumped there. So it seemed that not only were the night worlders were against anything not their species a select few were racist as well.

From what he was told Hira's Father was Japanese and his Mother some American, the thing was, his birth was just after the second world war, the time that any American didn't look favourable to any German, Japanese or any other race that was on the other side.

So even though Hira had the fore bearings of his parents, he had somehow achieved something that the rest of the assassins hadn't and that was simple peace of mind.

And that was main part of the attraction; he had eyes that you could trust. So even if wasn't such a good thing for the target's it was what everyone else around him needed.

Jess introduced the two, Hira nodded at Millie amicable. He had made a rule a long time ago not to get involved with anyone outside the Company. It would only complicate things if there was a contract on them that you couldn't stop.

Even though Hira was smart, his logic did come with a twist sometimes.

They made their way upstairs out of audible reach of anyone in the house. She knew when she had stepped back from him and looked into his face that this wasn't just any normal house call.

They sat on her bed, both looking out at the view from her window, "what is it?"

Hira sighed, "Mia's missing. She went out on an assignment on her own a couple of days ago and never turned up the next morning to report back to the company."

"She could have been delayed," Jessica knew she was grabbing at straws.

"No, the assignment has been carried out the man is dying from a slow acting spell and I know Mia wouldn't have run."

"What about Gunner?"

Hira shook his head, "he didn't go, even though he was meant to. But from what Mia said to me last week he'd been taking more interest in his latest girlfriend then the actual assignments."

Jessica's mind whirled with the possibilities, "do the Company know about this?"

Hira nodded, "Gunner's been reprimanded." His face was taut, "his girlfriend was found floating in a river this afternoon."

Jessica bit her lip; the Company were definitely miffed off with him. To have someone close to you killed meant that their patience was growing thin. "What's he doing now?"

"Trying to find Mia like everyone else, that's why I'm here. After last  
year's events," with this he meant Ryan, "the Company found out about your link with Mia and as I'm the most qualified telepath they've figured we could work something out to track her."

"The link," Jess sighed, she didn't like having anybody in her head, "it was a childhood muck up, and it only kicks in when the other is in physical pain or in very high emotional turmoil. I'm not sure about this."

"I know and I wouldn't do it if I did have a choice but I don't. Everyone is getting anxious; we've lost a lot of people at the top in the last year and Mia missing…"

"She's not dead, I would have known."

"I know, but they want to find her sooner then later and you're the only one who has a chance at helping."

"You practised on that guilt thing didn't you?"

He smiled, "I knew it was the only way you'd agree."

She nodded, "Ok," even though she hated the idea of someone being inside her head. The Company's telepath had done it to her as a kid just to make sure she was mentally stable enough to do the job. She didn't know if it was a good or bad thing but she passed it with flying colours. "No mucking about in there ok?"

He turned around so he was facing her, "promise, now remember how Ryan  
taught you how to open your mind?"

She closed her eyes and with a little mental push her invisible shields fell and she automatically felt Hira's mind slide into hers. It felt strange, not like last time when the Company's telepath had thoroughly swiped over her mind, Hira's was like a feather touch leaving a cool breeze feeling where ever he went.

"Jessica, I never thought you saw me in that way…" his laughter was musical as she jabbed him in the side, he stilled and all the humour fell from his voice, "I've found it, oh wow it's pretty. Jess if you could just see this it's like a florescent rainbow, glistening and everything. Wait, that's it I think if I just grab hold and follow it…"

His voice stilled and all Jess could only guess was that he was on some long distance telepathic journey. She tried not to laugh, if she ever tried to explain this to someone in the real world they would all just look at her blankly, what a telepathic journey? Yes, oh course that sounded sane.

A few minutes passed, it could have been five or maybe ten but when she  
finally did hear Hira's voice again it made her jump and jerk back.

"Shit!"

Her eyes flew open and an irate Hira sat in front of her, his hands were shaking and his breathing was heavy.

"What happened?"

"I was there and I could feel her mind and everything. She wasn't lucid, it was like she was coming round from something and I was trying to wake her up, talking to her and stuff and then out of nowhere it felt like something was pushing me out." He shook his head, "it was just weird, I've never known anyone who could do that especially with someone else's mind."

"So?"

"Well I was fighting with him, trying to keep my own and everything and I was winning, I'm sure I was but within seconds it changed and before I knew it I was shoved out and a cold mental shield was covering Mia's. Who ever it was he was powerful and not very happy."

"He?"

"You can tell, I mean female and male minds are different. Feel differently and a lot of the time thinks differently as well." He got up and walked over the window, "this is not good; the Company are not going to be happy."

"So what do we do, my best friend is in trouble and by the look on your face it looks like not a lot!"

He turned around and faced her, "don't get shitty with me it's not my  
fault."

"I know, I know and I'm sorry ok? But this is not good."

He sat back down beside her deflated, "no, not good at all."

"What will you tell the Company?"

"The truth I suppose, Mia's been kidnapped and I have no idea where she is and no only that I'll have to add the miserable fact that her kidnapper is a highly telepathically skilled night worlder who is most probably as dangerous as one of us assassins," he sighed, "so how does that sound?"

"Terrible."

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Mia eyes groggily opened, she was sure she had been outside last time but wherever her eyes trailed now all she could see where dark blue walls and a window, she blinked again, the window was painted over with the same dark blue paint.

She shook her head, how in hell did she make it here? She was sure she would have remembered, the only things that were coming to mind was the fact that she had just finished her assignment and she was packing up, then suddenly she though she heard something and then she woke up here.

Whatever had happened, she had just had the strangest dream about Hira, she shook her head. This was just way too strange.

She slumped back down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling, however she ended up here it wasn't going to be good and she knew who she could blame this all on. Gunner, yeah she knew he would get her in trouble with this.

She closed her eyes again and even if was partly unwillingly she fell back to sleep.

* * *

Jessica zipped the bag closed and paused; this would be difficult. But it would be worth it. Mia was out there somewhere and she wouldn't give up on her.

They had suffered too much together for Jess just to leave Mia with that maniac.

Gunner would meet them in Vegas, along with the rest of the recruits of '86. There would be six others, Don who was a werewolf; he had near enough been Ryan's best friend before he had deserted them. Now he was the same as Jessica, they both now carried their malevolent feeling towards Ryan around with them.

But it had all brought them closer together. Cherry would be there as well. She was Don's partner and you never saw them apart, it was a rarity if they were out of each other's company for less then an hour. Cherry was lamia and beautiful as they all were. Not that many guys got a look, Don was pretty much the over protective type.

A lot of the others hadn't even figured out if they were going out with each other or not, Jess just had the feelings they were more brother and sister then lovers.

Lalia and Nic were partnered together, Lalia was an Eagle shapeshifter and Nic was a witch like Mia. Then there was Zareh and Mike, the former a fox shifter and the latter Lamia.

These guys were her family and no matter what she did she would never be able to leave them behind. They would always be there for each other even if the Company weren't. They had risked too much over the years and now as always they were sticking together.

They would all meet in Vegas at a certain hotel and then hopefully they  
could work from there.

It had taken a lot of convincing for them to get Matilda's help last night, all they wanted was a locator spell, the thing was the one they wanted done was practically illegal and unlike them she took notice of her morals.

But they had explained their situation to her and with a certain lot of white lies they had recruited her into their little pursuit.

It had been difficult for all of them, Hira had to be telepathically joined with Jessica while he kept hold of their mind connection, Jessica had to try and stay conscious. The spell felt like there was a fire in her veins; they also had a crystal and a very detailed map of the US.

If Jessica hadn't been fighting with consciousness she would have admired Matilda's talents while the crystal floated over the map and gave them the right directions.

The thing was, Vegas was big and it was going to take a lot of teamwork to find anything there.

They were largely depending on Jess and Mia's connection and it scared the hell out of her, the last thing she wanted to do was disappoint them.

But everything recently had turned out the way it hadn't meant to, something was wrong and the sooner she found out what the happier she would be.

A car horn honked outside as Hira grew impatient; she had left a note for Eve and Millie. Just a quick explanation to say a friend needed her help with something. She would ring Trey when they got to the Hotel; she felt he would understand why the quick exit.

Especially because they were meant to meet up tomorrow night for coffee and a quick explanation why some guy would be so interested in Millie. But that would have to wait for next time, he would understand. Hopefully anyway, she couldn't really imagine Trey sulking.

After the third honk she sighed to herself and rushed downstairs slamming the door behind her. It was just about now that she wished Mia would ring her out of no where and say everything was alright, because she didn't want to imagine anything if it wasn't.

* * *

It had been many years since Elizabeth had allowed herself to think about her lost love.

She had talked about him to their son and told him what he was and what it meant. Meant that he could never tell another, that she had only sinned in the eyes of the nightworld and that the love that she had held with his father had been true and had worth it all.

It had taken her a long time just to be able to go back into the nightworld and the only reason was Lycoris. He needed to be around his own people, learn the rules and learn to behave like he no longer cared so he would fit in.

It had been a long and cold road and for a while she didn't think she could make it, but then she had heard something magical, something she was ashamed of having forgotten.

Old souls are reborn and he was out there somewhere waiting for her.

It had taken her many years to track him down and with each time it had always been to late and this time, she tried to quench down the feeling of anger. He hadn't remembered last time; she had walked past him, while he had his family around him, laughing and most of important of all not remembering her.

But this time it seemed he remembered all of it too well and too young of an age as well. She was so happy that she had gotten to him before it was too late; she had seen him as a toddler running about a little fenced in garden and just knew everything would be alright.

But as always she had left things far too late. She thought she should wait until his eighteenth birthday or at least some time afterwards but she had come to a house filled with a couple of decaying corpses and had only hoped what she thought hadn't have happened.

But it had and as always she found out way too late.

But this time she would make sure that he understood. She would find him, find him and at least explain why.

* * *

Jessica yawned and stretched out on the couch, there were eleven of them crammed in one room. Her room.

"So what have we found out then?"

They all looked at Jess and looked at each other, Nic decided to be the diplomat here and answer. "Well, we went to all the haunts. So no one's seen Mia or anyone acting suspiciously. There's no word about anyone in need of a witch either, we went down the routes of illegal spells needed done and that was a no as well."

He sighed; Nic had always been the calm and composed one. The one to always balance out Lalia out spoken abruptness, "truthfully, in the last thirteen hours we haven't found out anything."

Jess resisted the urge of clicking her knuckles, Hira nudged her over so he could sit down, the rest were either sat on the bed or languidly leaning against the wall. Every person in this room was dangerous and if she were anyone else she would have been scared, but she wasn't. Maybe if she were she would have a clue about what was going on.

Lalia abruptly stood up, "I think this calls for drinks!"

No one declined; she was merely saying what everyone was thinking. All they needed was to bury their troubles and maybe after that there would be a silver lining to the dark cloud that covered them.

They had decided to go to a club about ten minutes away from the Hotel; they had all been to Vegas many times before. Some for birthdays and others just to spend all the money they had earned, it didn't matter in the least that they were underage, money could buy them anything and the Company had supplied them with many false ID's, it was hard sometimes for them to choose which one to use.

They made their way to the bar, Ariella's Crypt should have been a Goth club, it had the name but the management had decided a different use for it. It should have been the trendiest pace in town, everyone who had the money went but it didn't exactly have the interior for such a title.

It was littered with a couple of tables around the edges of the room and a stage at the far side, every band that wanted to make it played here. It was just a pity for them that the owner only had a particular taste for punk and Indie music, if the owner didn't like the first few minutes of the first song there wasn't another chance.

But they had all made a collective vote that they liked the place and all they wanted to do was forget their failings for now, once they got Mia back they would then maybe think about having fun but that was a no go for now.

They all settled by the bar and sulked over their drinks, they were pathetic they knew it.

As usual Lalia took it upon herself to brighten up the mood, she grabbed Jess's arm and dragged her into the crowd, calling back to the others, "come on you pitiful losers, I know you're all feeling pathetic but it's not like we can all make a difference by sulking."

"We should be out looking for Mia."

Lalia looked at Jess when she said that and stilled at the edge of the  
crowd, her face serious for a moment.

"I know Hon, but we can't do anything until daylight and if Hira wants to try that connection again he said himself that he needs to sleep on it, to get more energy and stuff."

Jess nodded at her, "ok," Lalia smile automatically returned and continued to drag her into the crowd. She sneaked a glance behind her and back to the others at the bar, Zareh and Mike were trailing behind, Mike boisterously dragging Zareh with him and the rest with Hira as the centre point still with their drinks at the bar, but somewhat relaxed this time.

Jess smiled to herself and let Lalia drag her; she hadn't done anything like this since way before Ryan left and now at least she could see the advantage of being single. She didn't need Ryan really; all he had been was an emotional escape goat. Whenever she couldn't handle anything she had always gone running to him.

And now, when she could eventually figure out everything for herself and she felt a wonderful freedom in it. She didn't have to think about him and his feelings anymore all she had to do was think of her self and what she wanted and needed for once.

And all she wanted was to be young again and for this moment she felt like it.

The bass from the speakers vibrated all the way through her and made her tingle all the way down to her toes, she loved this. Loved the movement of everyone moving together, allowing people to have close proximity to her without fearing that they would pull out a knife.

She knew no one here and no one knew what she was and that felt like the best thing of all.

She had been dancing with the crowd and it only felt like an hour at most, but as she suddenly turned around the place was flooded with people that meant only one thing, it was around about midnight. For some reason, it was the clubs best time and that could only mean that they had been in here for a couple of hours.

She had lost Lalia in the crowd a little while back, some guy had tangled himself around her and they had slowly made their way out of the crowd.

If she could see from where the others were at the bar she would have understood the death like looks some of the girls around her were giving in her direction. Jessica was one of the prettiest girls on the floor and even though she didn't realise it most of the guys around her had their eye on her as well but for a totally different reason.

In the end it was the spiteful envy of one of the girls that made her bump into one of the most gorgeous guys in there. She had been bouncing away and the next moment this anorexic wannabe slammed her whole body weight into her and bounded her way into the side of this guy.

The guy helped her up and she was just about to go back in and slam the girl's head against something hard when he actually spoke to her.

She turned around at his words and totally forgot about the girl.

"You alright there?"

She smiled and tried not to blush as incredible blue eyes met hers, "much better now, and thank you."

She now decided that this was an excellent time to get over Ryan. The guy smiled and she felt her insides turn to ooze.

He was something that was definitely the verdict. He was wearing some dark khakis and a sleeveless t-shirt that revealed his intricately patterned tattooed arms, that wasn't the best part though.

His sapphire eyes would definitely take that medal, that and his ruffled black hair and out of some disturbed sense she had gained she could already tell that he was a night worlder, Lamia maybe, not that it changed her being attracted to him in the least. Jess had to control her self and hoped her eyes weren't popping out of her head.

He leant forwards a bit more so she could hear him over the noise, "I'm going to have to tell you now so you're not disappointed, I'm really bad at pick up lines."

She laughed, "Good, I never really fall for them anyway."

They eventually made their way out of the crowd; Jessica not noticing the dagger drawn looks she was getting from the female population once again.

She made her way to the bar and introduced everyone to her new friend, Zeke.

They were all a bit wary but Jessica smiled at them all, even if it did disappear when it got to Gunner, he was slouched against the end of the bar, still nestling his first drink in his hands, not even half emptied yet.

And his face was pale and his eyes looked off to the middle distance. She wanted to go up to him and tell him that everything was going to be all right and it didn't matter what he had done in the past, Mia would still forgive him.

But she couldn't make herself move, Zeke had already talking to Hira and she could feel his hand at her back steadying her and making sure that the bustle from the people walking by didn't disturb her too much. She didn't want to admit it yet but she really was beginning to like him.

The noise slowly increased and it was getting unbearable trying to hear everyone around her, all their wary eyes still flickered towards Zeke from time to time but now they were all standing in uncomfortable silence, now not even trying to bother to shout over the noise.

"Lets go to the Hotel bar," it was Hira and it almost made her jump, she smiled at him and nodded and they all made their way to the door, Lalia had already abandoned her little plaything for the night and trailed behind with Nic.

The night was colder then she expected and she tried not to shiver, Zeke being gallant gave her his jacket. She smiled at him and a smile that lit up his face was returned. She had never met a Lamia before with such open eyes, she could see his emotions play in them as he laughed and drew her near.

As always Hira was taking command, "ok, we came from this way so we might as well…"

A dizziness swept over Jessica and she had to take a step away from Zeke to balance herself, "Hira," her voice came out weak and strained, it was getting hard for her now to concentrate, it was disturbing familiar to the time she had that concussion.

Zeke's hand steadied her.

Lalia voice seemed to float into her head as she felt the evening air grow warmer as everyone crowded around her, "how much has she had to drink?"

Hira's voice was harsh, "she hasn't, she had that soda before she went to dance…" his face suddenly came into focus, "Jess, do you think this might be Mia?"

She nodded weakly, mildly overjoyed in the fact that Mia had found her yet mortified at what must be wrong with her.

"Hey what's going on?"

Zeke still had his arm around her; more so this time trying to keep her upright, "I think I'm going to be sick," was all she could mutter before she blacked out.

* * *

A fever swept through her, Mia could feel it and yet was too weak to heal herself in anyway. She shivered as she curled up on the bed.

They had left a couple of hours ago and since then she had been slowly getting worse. She tried not to let her mind wander and think about the last couple of days. The company had trained them to be immune to pain, told them how to resist torture, even a special type of meditation where you could let your mind wander away from your body.

She had done that and once he had figured out her secret he had followed her in; her safe place, a place where the company had made her believe it was where no one could get to the real her, but they had been so wrong.

He had stepped in easily and laughed at her surprise. They had never taught her about Mental torture, about how someone could manipulate your memories and make all the dead come back to punish you.

And she had screamed so loud, but no one had heard her. She was trapped in a psychological world of her making and it was only at his leniency that she could escape and he had taken his time to break her. Amused at his little plaything, she could feel it and it was the first time in her life she had really been afraid and there was no one there to save her, even the ones who had promised that they always would.

She shivered and tried to block the thoughts, tried to think of things long ago, think of the first time she had met Jessica. The first day of their training when they had been ushered to their barracks and so many had been in floods of tears wishing their parents would save them.

Jessica never had, she had solemnly sat on the side of her bunk and had looked around at the rest. She had been considered the weakest in the room, yet was the strongest one there. It was that what had made Mia go up to her and introduce herself, she had been a snivelling wreck herself but she wasn't a fool and in something like that you always had to pair yourself up with the strongest of the group.

And Jessica had smiled at her and moved over in her bunk so she could sit down and in so many ways that was one of the most important moves she had made in her life.

It was within the first few weeks that they had lost the majority percentage of the recruits; it was then that she learned her tolerance for blood. The ones who had been squeamish at first soon learnt the importance of getting over that particular hurdle. The ones who hadn't soon had their own blood flowing over the training grounds.

Some faces she still remembered, a lot of them had turned into a haze of indistinct features. She had made the correct decision then, she was just hoping that it would save her now.

She curled herself up tighter and let herself fall into the black dizziness that swamped her.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Jessica sneezed and somehow woke herself up. Everything was hazy for a second and it took her a while to realise where she was. She should have known she wasn't home from where the pillows were too soft and the bed too comfortable, but it was the simple fact of the barely familiar boy in front of her that gave her the clue.

"I was wondering when you'd join the world of the living again."

She felt too numb to answer him back, the pain from Mia and her link was gone and pure and simple numbness took over. She didn't know what was worse, feeling Mia's agony and falling down with the same afflictions or feeling this strange numbness where she didn't even know if Mia was all right or not.

She sat herself up and her eyes settled on Zeke, it seemed that the rest had gotten over the anxiety of not trusting him for he was the only one here, alone with her in her Hotel room.

"Where…"

"Gone after the girl Mia," he had guessed along her line of thought and passed her a glass of water. "Nic, I think that was his name, did a locating spell while Hira did something with that link in your head that connects you to her," he smiled at her, "and as you can tell they gave me a mini update on things."

"So they've all gone?"

"Yeah, all rushed out as soon as possible, well after threatening me of course. Understandably," he leant forward in his chair, "but the thing is Jessica why are you hanging about with a bunch of night worlders?"

She smiled craftily at him and leant forwards herself, "Why do you think I know anything about this nightworld?"

He laughed, "You're good, you know that don't you? I'm no fool, even though I might seem like one. You move like us and if you don't know anything about it, I'd say it's a miraculous coincidence."

"If you're so righteous about me knowing about the Nightworld why are you talking to vermin?"

His composure stiffened at that and his blue eyes seemed to ice over, "I stopped thinking of your kind as vermin a long time ago."

"Really?" she knew she was poking her nose into something that didn't concern her but the others had left her and at that conclusion she wouldn't have anything to do until they came back, so teasing Zeke even if it was cruel was something to fill her mind with, "so please tell me what life changing experience made that happen?"

He relaxed again and his eyes seemed to engulf her from where she sat, he was something to look at that was definitely her opinion, and the view from where she was, was exquisite. He had the ideal Nightworld beauty without the harsh hardness in his eyes.

"Circle Daybreak did."

It shouldn't have surprised her and she couldn't stop a callous laugh escaping her throat, "you're going to really hate me then."

"Try me."

It could have been seen as simple flirting, they were sparring with words but Jessica wasn't stupid and she knew what her next words would do to him and she stilled for a second so she could remember his eyes filled with something except disgust, she wondered how long he would hang around after her little declaration.

"I kill people for a living."

And she could see it in his eyes, two sides of him sparring against each other. She was human which to him meant vulnerability that represented what he was fighting for. But the other was the harsh truth; she did what he had spent most of his time nowadays fighting against.

"Why?"

And for once it seemed like a question that was impossible to answer, why? Well she was brought up to, trained to and if not, well there was the unappealing result of execution. Loyalty was a big thing in the Company and the only reason Ryan wasn't dead was because no one could find him.

"It's my job; it's like asking why you're with Daybreak. It is just because, that's it. I don't think there's a way I could explain it to you."

It hurt her more then she expected when she saw that look on his face, something in between pain and confusion, "so why even tell me?"

Her fingers anxiously entwined within each other, it seemed ridiculous; she had killed numerous people over the years and had felt only vague discomfort at most. But when asked to explain it all to someone she would seize up and become something she had been fighting for most of her life not to be.

"Because we might as well end the delusions now, I like you and I don't even know why and I wouldn't want to start something when a couple of weeks down the line you would find out what I am and run as far away from me as possible. I've already been screwed over by a few people and don't really like repeating the process."

"Fair enough," but his voice was hard, not the Zeke she had met a few hours ago and maybe that was the mistake in it self. She should have left him well alone; someone like him didn't deserve to be messed up in stuff of her own making.

"You can leave if you want."

His eyes caught hers and she didn't know what else to say, he was a sweet guy. Maybe that was the problem, guys like that didn't appear in her life and when they did it was just as an example of what she didn't have.

"That's what I keep telling myself," His voice was somewhat hollow and tired, "but as you can see I haven't moved. How long are you here for?"

"Depends on Mia, but a week at the most. I've got to get home and I don't want to miss too much of College."

His sardonic laugh seemed to echo around the room, "so not only an assassin but an educated one at that."

"As I said you don't have to be here, I told you the truth didn't I? I didn't let any feelings develop before hand and that's for the best. You're too nice of a guy to be mixed up with someone like me."

And as soon as those words left her mouth, the hardness in his face washed away, "I'm not a nice guy, just unlucky is all and truthfully I like you too."

She smiled at him unbeknown to her how much it affected him, "it would be nice, but you have to think what Circle Daybreak will think. I've had a couple of unfortunate meetings with them over the years and they were not overly impressed with me."

He smirked, "surprise, surprise."

"Oih," the air had lightened a bit, but the underlying hurt feelings were still there.

And that was it, the air around them thickened and there seemed like there was nothing else for them to say. Zeke sat back in his chair and looked gravely at his hands, while Jessica blatantly stared at him.

"We need to think about this," he said, his voice serious and now just tired, "because this is going to be a challenge for both of us and even though we might survive it, I'm not sure if anyone else will come out unharmed."

It was all true and Jessica wanted to regret her actions for ever bumping into him in the first place and causing all this, but for some reason she couldn't and didn't really want to.

* * *

Gunner was the first one to find her; the others had all rushed in after his anguished call of her name.

She was still in the position she had fallen asleep in, but her skin had paled to a death like white and slight tremors shook her in her sleep.

"Mia?" his voice was soft yet urging, he had kept telling himself to expect the worst but when he actually came to it, he couldn't accept it if anything did happen to her.

"Mia?" his voice was more persistent this time and he leant over her to feel for her pulse and met fiery skin.

He scooped her up in his able arms and met the others concerned gaze as he swung around to leave, "she's ill, we need to get her back."

No one disagreed and they all followed him in silence, Lalia, Mike, Don and Cherry nominating themselves for the job to stay about and search the place.

They hadn't known what to say to each other when they did eventually get back to the hotel; they all hurried off to Gunner's room and laid her gently down. Nic stood above her with a grim look on his face.

"Wait a second," everyone took a step back, they had seen Nic do magic before and it had always been magnificent and awe inspiring but slightly dangerous to anyone who was in the general vicinity.

But this time what flowed from his hands was a soft silver glow that drifted around Mia's body; she laid there still except for an occasional whimper and shuffle.

With an irritated sigh from Nic the magic dissipated and Mia's fever clad body still lay there.

Gunner was the first one to speak and it was cold as ice, "and the problem is?"

Nic glared at him, "the spells the Company put on us to rebound the ones we get while we're on duty has somehow banded altogether and have created a barrier that none of my healing spells can pass through."

"Potions, you must have something!"

Nic sighed and looked away from him, "no, this was an emergency call. I haven't brought any of my equipment and it's very unlikely that it'd work anyway, you have to remember all the chemicals that are floating around inside of us to ward against poisons."

"So what can we do?" Hira was the calmest in the room, the rest in the room weren't ready to lose one of their own yet; over the years he had lost many.

"We can do it the human way I suppose, I know what's wrong with her it's just that I can't do anything. She's going to need a lot of TLC and you know, the cold compress thing and lots of liquid…"

"I'll give her some of my blood."

They all stilled at that, at Nic's words they were all ready to go out and do his bidding but Gunner had frozen them. A lamia just giving his blood away was a big thing, partner or not. It was also a thing that the Company would most probably rebel against. Gunner had been in enough trouble these last few days; he didn't need any more bad attention.

"Gunner you know…"

"I know and that's why you're all going to forget that I just said that and go back to your rooms. Mia needs me, I've let her down too many times before and I won't let her go through anymore pain or misery when I can make it alright within a couple of hours."

"Gunner don't be…"

"It's foolish…"

"They'll know, they always do…"

The barrage of voices slammed down on him and it was only Hira's firm cold voice that stopped them.

"Enough, you heard him, it's his choice and his partner. Go back to your rooms; we'll discuss the game plan later."

They all filed out obediently, following orders already ingrained into them soul deep. When the last person filed out and the door had been slammedclosed Hira turned to him.

"Don't think I agree with what you're doing but it is your duty as Mia's partner to value her life as much as your own. But you do realise the emotional entanglement this will lead you into? She'll be able to see into your mind, it won't be like feeding, it will be a reversal of play here. Once you let her drink you will be at her whim."

"I don't care and if I wasn't such a fool as I was before we wouldn't be here now. She needs me and at last I'm actually doing something for her, all I've ever done in the last few weeks is let her down. So what if she demoralises me by what she sees, I'll deserve every second of it."

Hira just shook his head, "well, what can I do except let you children make your own mistakes," he sighed and looked down on Mia, remembering Gaja. His own partner from so long ago, if he'd had a second chance he would have done everything in his power to save her.

But he had resented her for it then, her weakness that had eventually killed her in the end. But to have that warm security now, knowing that one person was always beside you, ready to protect you. He would risk Company punishment if he could just go back and change it.

He left Gunner then, retreating towards the door so he didn't have to see Mia's weakened body anymore. Before Gaja, Hira had never believed that old ghosts could haunt you. But now he knew the truth; it wasn't the ghosts that haunted you, it was the guilt.

Gunner sat on the side of the bed and looked down at his Mia, the one he had promised never to let down, the one he had told he'd always be there for. He drew his wooden blade from his bag and settled it on the edge of the bed as he moved Mia into a sitting position and hoped she wouldn't choke on her only lifeline.

She wouldn't wake; they had tried that on the way over, so he was left with the undignified result of shifting her about like an old rag doll. He was just hoping it would work; he didn't want to think about a future without her, even if she didn't want him in hers.

He picked up the knife and with a slight frown he slit it across his wrist, blood welled and he balanced his arm towards her mouth. He had only cut one of the minor veins so it would only trickle down her throat, too much would choke her and his nerves was on edge already, he had never been any good at first aid. Which should have been understandable in their line of work, but now he felt the guilt settle in.

Mia had always nagged him that he should, she was only mortal and things like wounds would happen and he would be the only one around to help her. He had taken her role as a witch and healer too serious, how could he have been so stupid that he wouldn't foresee that there would be a day the wounds would be too serious for her to heal herself.

It was like some tragic Greek myth, the healer who could only heal others and lived an eternity in torment from their own unhealed wound. He eventually felt her lips on his wrist and felt something tingle in the back of his mind.

A whisper sounded and it was only at the second try he eventually made it out.

'Gunner'

And the rest was a warm flow of feelings as he felt her mind open to his and he knew that no matter what she was going to make it.

* * *

Jessica watched Zeke walk out of the room, she tried not to sigh until he closed the door and was a little way down the hall.

He was another person she was watching walk out of her life. She had given him her number and address at home, just in case he wanted to pop by. She knew how pathetic she sounded but she hadn't met anyone like him in her life time and just the thought that he might leave Daybreak someday filled her with a warmth.

He had stayed a couple of hours more after her little announcement, he had told her more about him self, about how he worked freelance in Daybreak between all the headquarters in America. He had blamed it on his itchy feet and how he never really like to stay around anywhere for too long.

She had told him as much as she could about herself, nothing about the Company of course, but mainly how old she was when she was recruited and a little bit about the training. She had even told him about her half brother Kieran and how he was the only one in her family she spoke to.

And it had felt good, talking to someone and knowing that it wasn't going to be examined and scrutinised later. He had actually listened to her and she had felt safe with him there, which was a challenge a lot of people never passed.

And now he was gone.

* * *

"Hello there."

Kyle spun around at the voice and his eyes were instantly met with an image of a stunning woman. He had never met her before which would have been helpful because not a lot of woman like that suddenly made their way into his home.

He was met with silvery eyes, which were set in creamy skin and delicate bones. He didn't believe the guise she wore for an instant. The woman reeked of nightworld and Kyle knew that if it was her desire she could crush him within a moment.

"Hi," his voice wasn't strong as he would have wanted it but the only night worlders he had to see were his assassins once in a while. This woman, even though she could have fit the image for she only looked to be in her late twenties held an edge that definitely confirmed she wasn't one who took orders.

She sat herself down, opposite Kyle's desk where he had been working through some of his planning again. He knew that everything had to precise; everything had to be perfect so the Company never found out.

She smiled at him in away a cat does when it knows the mouse had no way to escape. "There is someone I need to find Mr Richards and to your surprise I can only guess, you are going to help me."

"How can you be sure that I'll be able to help you?"

The woman smiled again, "blackmail being one of them and of course you work for this particular person. So you will do this for me, wont you Mr Richards? It's that or everyone finds out what happened to John Wards."

Kyle stilled and his skin paled as a memory of a gunshot sailed through his mind, "who?"

"I need to find Tristan Gully, your boss I believe. You find him and I'll deal with him."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Mr Richards, I know of your plans, I have been watching you for a while, I'm not stupid you know and the fact your replacement was a day breaker did make me a little suspicious."

His blood seemed to have dropped and settled in his feet, his hands were clammy and he had no idea what to say. He had thought he had been so smart and it took just one random person to come up to him to prove that he wasn't.

"Now, we'll work in a partnership here. You do this for me and make sure that your own plans don't go to your head by killing the man and I will keep it all quiet."

Kyle nodded, feeling like a foolish old man for his extravagant ideas, "yesmiss."

The woman's smile curved even more and gave out her hand so they could shake upon it, "you can call me Elizabeth, Kyle. Now let's get down to business."

* * *

Jessica sat on the side of the bed and watched Mia sleep, Gunner had told her about the blood exchange which in the Company's reality didn't happen if anyone asked.

Mia was still weak and as a tentative Gunner had tried to explain, someone had seriously screwed around with her mind. So when she did wake up it would be best for them if they weren't surprised when it wasn't their normal Mia talking back to them.

He had predicted weeks, months even for her recovery, physically it would take a week at most but that wasn't what Gunner was afraid of, he had tried to explain it to Jessica, it was like someone had personally pulled all of Mia's nightmares from all their hiding places and stuck them in full view of Mia's mind where she couldn't escape them.

Mia stirred and her eyes groggily opened, panic seemed to be etched in her face until she noticed her companions in room and nearly instantly her features relaxed and she sat her self up.

"Hi ya."

"Hi, how you feeling?" Jessica knew it was a stupid question but what else could she say? There never really is any room for chitchat when your best friend was recovering from something like that.

"Like someone ran me over with a bulldozer, Jess, it was…" her voice cracked and she looked away, Gunner cautiously took a couple of steps forward but a moment later stilled, waiting for her next reaction.

Jess took the initiative and gave Gunner a gallant smile, "you know Gunner; I think Hira would really appreciate knowing that Mia is awake. If you could do this…"

"You just want to leave don't you?"

Jessica's smile widened.

"I'm not stupid you know, you could just ask me."

He sighed and stuck his tongue at her in defiance, only making him look even more immature then normal and of course much more attractive.

"Door," she reminded him glancing at it.

He rolled his eyes, covering up his concern in the process and left with as much dignity as he could.

Silence seemed to thicken in the room, Mia sat there not willingly giving anything away and Jessica let her. Not even pretending that she knew what she was going through, she positioned her back against one of the bedposts and waited with patience. Whoever did this would pay and Mia was the only one who could start them in their search.

And now all she had to do was wait. And that was exactly what she did.

"They lied."

Jessica almost jumped, it had been about forty-five minutes since Gunner had left the room and they had sat in oppressive silence. She stopped herself from asking who 'they' were, Mia was nothing but thorough. In her own time she would tell Jessica all they needed.

"He brandished knives and other torturing wares, said he needed a lab rat so he could teach others the best techniques of torture, said that he needed someone like me so at least he had some resistance and they were shown what it'd really be like." her voice was hollow and emotionless and no matter what she did Jessica couldn't erase the tension that knotted in her back.

"I shouldn't have laughed at him, I know that now but I had been so sure. The Company had said that I would be safe there, that no matter what was going on to my body my mind would be safe from all that and I believed them." She shook her head, "stupid, stupid me and for a while thought I was safe until he came in after me."

Jessica leant in, interest spurring her, "who's he?"

"He introduced himself as Avan, did the whole charade of bowing and everything. When I first saw him he took my breath away, he was stunning Jessica and very unearthly." She took a shuddering intake of breath, "I wanted you lot to save me so much but the more I tried to call out to you the more he would laugh at me and say all I ever would be was alone and that it was better that I learnt that particular lesson now."

Knowing that she shouldn't, Jess asked that one question that all the burning revenge in her needed to hear, "what did he do to you?"

"Ripped my soul apart." She looked at Jess and gave her a weak smile that dropped nearly instantly, "all the dead filled my view, all of them looking at me with hate and resentment in their eyes, all of them accusing me, all of them all rightly of course. I had never felt like such a monster until he did that."

But Jessica knew that was only part of the story, there had to be something else that could do all this damage to their ever so dear Mia. Simple ghosts couldn't have.

"He told them to line up and they looked at him like some saviour, Jessica I knew he was playing with me, knew they were only from my memory but it was so real. I couldn't move and they all started to walk towards me and with each one that passed I'd have a flash of their death and the pain they felt in their last moments." A reckless laugh escaped her, but it was harsh and somewhat wrong to Jessica's ears, "over four years of killing and there were a lot of them and I never thought it would end."

Mia's hands came up to rub her face, her tired eyes going back to Jess, "then it was the flashbacks, all the horrible things of course. The training ground executions, the beating when we did stuff wrong and the broken bones, the crying ourselves to sleep." She shook her head, "and then he got to the more personally stuff."

Mia left out Avan's commentary, he had merely laughed at her quiet anguish at all the sights, but the thing was all her close friends were in her visions and that had only intrigued him. Especially the frequent times Jessica was in them. He had admitted his amazement at the fact this human had survived what a lot of the night worlders hadn't.

Even said she was pretty, that it was just a pity she was human or he would have added her to his collection. To his collection of what, she could only guess.

"I never told you I went to see my family last year, just after Ryan ran off. I wanted to prove to myself that I would never do the same. Jess, it was lovely, they had all welcomed me with open arms, all love and happiness," it was at that part that ice entered her tone, "that was before they found out what I did. They were Harman's, lovers of life and earth and all that other crap. They had looked at me with disgust and then totally rejected me, even Harvey. Big brother, the guy who said he's always protect me. It was only something like that, that could push away his lies and show his true colours."

"And that was the thing that hurt me over everything. They didn't want to touch me, Harvey kept all my sisters away from me as if I'd hurt, infect them in some way and that was the thing that Avan needed as his finale. Flipped some switch and for hours on end that was the thing I saw, on automatic repeat."

Jess knew that wasn't all of it, but knew that Mia's concession had been enough. This guy had hurt her and there was nothing left to do but hunt him down and get him to feel the same type of pain he had caused her.

Jessica made a move to leave the room but then turned around and faced her, "we'll get him, I promise."

Mia didn't believe her but nodded at her anyway and watched her leave the room and a minute later Gunner snuck back in. there had been so much more she hadn't told her of, but what she had, had been enough.

She tried not to remember what he did when it was all over and he had watched the scene of her rejection for the lat time. With a little wave of his hand he had stopped them instantly and with a cold voice he had told the unseen audience that was the end of the demonstration for today. And through the world she couldn't see beyond she could see his eyes follow these unseen people out of the room that she hardly remembered being in.

But his last words had been the thing that had angered her the most, it was the pity hinged in his voice that had inflamed her anger.

'I would kill you,' he had muttered, 'but that would be only letting you escape your miserable existence.' But with an instant his mood had changed and his eyes were thoughtful and voice soft, 'families always forgive. They can't help it, they love you, you know. They just couldn't stand to know what you did, ignorance being bliss and all. It'll get better.'

And with that he had left, leaving Mia with control over her own meagre mind again. She had hated him more then anything then, they had been taught how to deal with torture, how to deal with the shock and the other results. But pity?

It a thing that the Company didn't deal in and it was now that Mia wished she wasn't one of the few who had made it through the selection process of the Company, wishing she was could have been one of the executed on the training grounds.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Jessica waved goodbye to Hira before she let herself in, it had almost been a week when all this had started and once Gunner had taken Mia back to the compound there was no point in any of them hanging around.

So she was now back home or at least it was that for now, her art course had failed to interest her anymore and the appeal of going somewhere more populated and what would make her more useful for the Company appealed to her more and more each day.

Once her foot stepped inside of the door Millie screeched her name from the end of the hall.

"Jessica! Look Trey, the wanderer has returned."

Trey appeared at the side of the door and a wry smile was curved on his face, "any luck?"

Jess nodded, "all well and good."

"So where did you go?" Millie didn't even wait for her to get into the kitchen to sit down.

Jess dropped her stuff and rummaged in the fridge for some food, "nowhere special," she exclaimed, "just an old friend of mine had a minor emergency."

"What kind of emergency?"

Jess sat down at the table empty handed and smiled at them all seated around her, "a personal emergency."

Millie eventually sighed, a sign she was giving up. "That's what I hate about you guys, sometimes you are so damn secretive, but don't worry about me," she said rising to her feet indignantly. "I'll survive," and with that she stormed out of the room, with a well-timed door slam from upstairs showing her defiance.

"So nothing has changed here then," in someway Jess was relieved; with all the things with Mia and the rest she didn't need any further hassle. "So how have you been?"

Trey smiled at her. "Fine, but we have another hunter. If you want I can help you with it?"

It sounded more like a plea out of boredom but Jessica accepted, she missed having company on assignments and even though this was only a clean up she would still appreciate the company.

She looked back at him and smiled, "yeah that would be cool, we can have our own little mini adventure."

He laughed, "Anything would be appreciated, I've been here for about three weeks now and the only word I can describe it as is mundane." But his eyes suddenly darkened and he looked around to see if anyone could hear them, "so how did it really go?"

Jessica sighed, the confusion and hurt from what happened to Mia still bubbling inside of her, "Mia is," she sighed again trying to find words to describe it, "defeated you can say, tortured a bit. He went in and screwed around with her mind and then just laughed at the consequences."

"He?"

She admired how he caught onto it so quickly, "the guy actually told her his name, something you don't do. Either he's really stupid and forgot to kill her afterwards or very powerful and knows that no one can touch him." she paused, "Have you heard of anyone called Avan?"

"Don't, that's a very bad idea!" his words were sharp and forceful and Jessica's stomach knotted up.

"Don't what?" she laughed almost nervously.

"There are some things I've heard, word of mouth, most probably not reliable."

"Tell me though." It wasn't a request.

"He's been around for awhile, a century or two maybe. He is very powerful and very hidden, so much so that a lot of people can't discern the actual truths from the old tales. You have to remember he was used by parents as threats to their children, it was used on us."

He too a deep breath and tried to take control of his words a bit more, his dark eyes troubled, "it doesn't surprise me that you friend is like she is. Our Mum," for a moment his voice was full of fondness but then it suddenly fell, "she used to scare us into being good, she used to tell us that if we weren't, that Avan would come and punish us in our dreams." He shook his head, "silly things like that."

Jess nodded as well, foreboding the up coming events, "but a lot of these tales originate from truths, so he's dangerous," she closed her eyes for a second so she could get the image of Mia in her mind again and remind herself why she was doing this, "but the important things always are," she whispered, more to herself then to Trey.

"I'd stop any hopes of revenge now; you'll only get yourself killed."

His warning warmed her heart and she opened her eyes and smiled at him,  
"isn't that always the best part?"

A small smile crept onto his face, "the killed part or actually surviving? Myself I like staying away from it altogether," he stopped suddenly as he absently trailed a finger down a scar trailing down one of his arms, "from experience I've learnt the hard way."

She repressed the pity she felt for him, knowing it wouldn't be appreciated by either of them, "it still will be done."

His ebony eyes seemed to survey her and he nodded solemnly, "I know."

* * *

The Hunter eyed the vampire with interest. The last few days had been slow and he had been resigned to just wandering the dimly lit streets hoping something would pass his way, but now, now he could have some fun.

He followed him silently, knowing from past exploits just the right distance to keep so they couldn't hear you. He had moved here in the hope that he could finally make an impact. A place filled with an unusual number of Night worlders and strangely no hunters.

He had met a contact when he first got here, someone who didn't dabble in the actual hunting. She was just there as an informant. The word of mouth and the spots that attracted the night worlders the most, she gave you all the information needed. Also the things you didn't like to hear.

She had been the centre point for four hunters at one point, but just under two months ago they had disappeared one by one. She had told him that she didn't know who was doing it, but whoever it was, was smart enough not to leave any evidence behind.

So even as he followed the vampire, he kept all his senses open. He didn't want to be the next one who mysteriously disappeared; he had defeated all that had met with him. What else could this be but a powerful night worlder who needed to be shown who was the strongest species, and with all his power he knew that he'd win.

The vampire stopped by the old rectory, something chilled down the hunter's bones as he took in the view. It looked like a scene from an old horror movie, the evil fiend outside a decadent old church, the windows bordered up and the ivy overgrown over the black painted crusted fencing.

He repressed a shiver and slunk back in the shadows as he made his way to his target. He finally settled a few feet away. Withdrawing his Bokken from the sheath on his back, he took a step forward. The Vampire spun round to meet him in response.

Ebony black eyes stared at him calmly; a smile crept on the Vampire's face.

"You won't be smiling for long," the hunter muttered to him, letting all the years of anger he held against them build up inside of him.

A new voice though made him spin around and back away a little so he could keep both of them in his view.

"Yeah, you have to take his advice Trey. From what I've heard smiling too much can lead to wrinkles." The girl was stunning and danger seemed to ooze out of her every pore. She was human, the hunter was sure of that but her grace spoke of the nightworld and the Katana in her hand spoke of his imminent death.

"Who, who are you?" he suddenly wanted to rephrase his words, why should he be afraid of a simple girl?

A girl who didn't wear a mask like all the others, her dark green eyes clashed against his, the only part of him that could be seen. Her dark hair was tied loosely behind her back, which only defined her classically sculptured face more. She walked over and stood next to the night worlder with an ease and confidence that the hunter felt unnerved by.

"I'm your Judge and Executioner, now I know this won't surprise you, but you've been a very bad boy!"

He wanted to laugh at her gall but he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He was still partially amazed the Vampire hadn't gone for her throat yet.

"So," the girl's voice was now soft, "I can either give you a five second start and you can try to run off or we can end this pitiful charade and I can end it now."

The hunter stiffened and broadened his shoulders in defiance; he had too much dignity to just give in now, after everything he had gone through. "You're worse then them, killing your own kind, what is he then? Your boyfriend or just some lackey?"

He regretted his words instantly as her eyes darkened and all the sympathy that was there, now sunk away. Her hand came up and touched the vampire's arm, "I'll do this one on my own; lets just say I need to get some release for all my built up anxiety."

The vampire merely nodded and stepped back.

The girl's eyes gleamed and for a moment the hunter was sure that he saw his death in them. And for the first time in years panic overrode him and he fled down the nearest alley.

The girl sighed and looked over to her friend, "I'll see you at home," she muttered to him as she set off after her prey at a fast sprint.

She found him quickly, he had run into a dead end and he was gallantly  
waiting for her, bokken in hand. She looked at him sadly, knowing that her Katana could slice through his now pitiful weapon quickly. She took a step forward and she could see his muscles tense. After all these years she still didn't understand why they were afraid of her.

"You should have left while you had a chance," she said to him softly, "didn't the other disappearances warn you of imminent doom?"

His eyes widened, "it was you."

"Well done," she had decided that she would at least give him a sporting chance; she waited until he attacked first.

"Why, how could you do that to your own kind?"

She wanted to laugh at his righteousness, "Why not? You do it to them."

He still hadn't moved, he was still absorbing the shock of her words, "it's different though, they kill us. Treat us like cattle, kill everything around them regardless."

"Exactly as humans do. You look at me disgusted but it won't make a difference. You don't think your death will affect me, do you? Because that would be stupid, I've killed many, both nightworld and human. You." She shrugged, "you'll just be another face to add to the crowd."

His face contorted in anger and within a moment he ran out at her, weapon in hand. Within another the girl levelled her Katana and blocked his bokken and then kneed him. Grinding his teeth in his pain he came in for another attack, this time she went in for the kill, with a simple flick of her Katana, his bokken flew from his grasp and in his distraction she swiped the blade across his stomach.

In a surprised yelp the hunter fell to the floor and the girl stood over him, "see," she whispered to him as she watched his eyes dim, "just another face." She watched as the blood flowed from his body and his laboured breathing finally stopped.

And with that all done she sighed and dragged the body away.

* * *

Mia lay on her bed, fully dressed and physically able. Yet not moving. The Company had sent Gunner away to do an assignment on his own; they had refused to listen to his pleas over Mia and had said they would look over her welfare.

He had gone off in a disgusted mood and had mumbled something about them not understanding.

Mia hadn't moved since Gunner had taken her to her room, after all the medical examinations and the mentality survey she still wasn't any different. From the frowns on the psychiatrist's face, she could only guess that she hadn't passed.

And if she had been herself on any other day she would have cared. But Mia had ceased that mindless activity and had succumbed to the comfort of retreating back into her self. Gunner had tried so hard to bring her back, to make her smile and even on one occasion to make her mad.

But she had simply looked at him mildly and then turned away.

This way she was simply hoping that no one would notice that she was still stuck in her own personal hell. Avan had stopped it, turned off the catalyse that had started all of this, but she could still see them and they were still taunting her.

Why wouldn't the dead just go back and rest?

But they had told her that they never rested now, that their deaths couldn't allow them to. This was all her fault and no matter how many times she kept telling herself that she deserved it. They were still there every time she closed her eyes.

So as the shadows grew under her eyes, she let herself sink deeper.

* * *

"There's been a change of plan."

Ivy looked at Kyle with concern, all these months of his planning and his secret meetings with the Company's rivals. He was now before her paled and a soft look of humble knowledge seemed to rest in his eyes.

"And you mean what by that?"

"I've somehow contributed a partner in this little activity. She's very powerful and someone I'm not planning on upsetting."

A frown creased Ivy's face, "what does she want?"

Kyle sighed; he had worked too long within the factions of the Company to simple think that once he gave the woman the address of Tristan Gully she would leave him alone. There was always small print with these things.

"She wants the guy I've been searching for, so everything I've done for the last year can actually be for a reason." Sarcasm oozed from his voice.

"Gu…" Ivy quickly stopped herself, Kyle had warned her about using names, especially in public, she shook her head and started again, "but that would risk everything."

"I know," he said softly, "but I'm hoping she wants him for the same reason as I do, because if not. We'd have to start all over again and find a way of ending it without him being the key."

Ivy nodded, "that would put a strain on us and be near impossible."

Kyle simply agreed with her and took a slow sip of his coffee, "well, soon we'll know, won't we?"

"Yes, yes we will."

* * *

"You ok?"

Trey looked up at Jessica and lightly smiled, "I'm fine I suppose, and you?"

"Good," she went and sat herself down beside him, admiring the beauty of the garden. Over the last few days she had found that Trey out of all of the others was really the only one she had anything in common with.

And with the amounting time he was spending over hers anyway, he had slowly ingrained himself into her daily life, she looked over to him and saw the dark thoughts seep through his eyes; she had grown too close to him to just let him drown in them.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on or do I have to sit on your chest until you succumb?"

He laughed at the memory and looked over to her, "you catch on quick; you know why I'm here… Millie," he looked over to the house, "and I was going to tell you before you left but," he sighed, "I'm trying to protect her, but me just being here just is leading her into danger."

"Everything we do is dangerous," Jessica said to him solemnly, telling him something she had learned over the years, "it's just that few recognise that fact."

Her words didn't seem to console him, "I might as well tell you. Because if he has followed me as I've guessed, you may be the only one who would be able to help us."

"So, who is he and why is he after Millie?"

"Have you heard about soul mates?"

Jessica nodded, Mia had told her about that particular part of Nightworld folklore when they had been growing up together. Mia hadn't actually stipulated though that the connection was an actual truth.

"Well, the guy's name is Javid. A self obsessed Lamia." His voice was filled with disgust, "Millie bumped into him when she was only sixteen, you have to understand that she was still so young and she's never been the most mature person in the world. So when this did come along she couldn't handle it. And he wanted more then she could give, you should have seen her, she wasn't ready to give her soul away to someone, even if she got his in return."

He sighed, "So that was the time we had to start running and him  
incidentally being a psychotic little miscreant followed us to the ends of the Earth."

Jess looked at him solemnly; the events had definitely taken its strain on him. She tried to picture him as being carefree and happy, but couldn't bring the image to mind.

"So after being on the run for about ten months I dropped her off here,  
knowing that as long as I kept away from Millie she would be safe from him," a grim smile covered his face, "he caught up with me a couple of times after that. That's where the scars come from," he saw the look on Jessica's face, "he didn't sully his hands with that kind of thing though, he had his own lackeys to do that for him."

"So why stop now?"

His eyes met hers and she had to stop her self from offering him comfort, even if only a hug. He had suffered too much over the years, and all for his sister.

"I'm hoping she's finally ready to face up to him, because I'm tired of this and if she can't. Well, let's just say that either me or Javid won't be wont be getting out of here alive."

"And this is all for Millie?"

He laughed, "Yeah, a bit pathetic I guess. But she's the only person I have left. Mum and Dad have gone and I promised her that I'd always be there for her and even though at times I felt like walking away. I know that I never would be able to, hopefully she's got as much influence over Javid as she has over me and then maybe we would be able to make a lot of leeway."

Jessica bit her bottom lip, Trey was hoping for a lot here, but from what Mia had told her maybe this would be able to heal itself. If she remembered correctly, Mia had described the soul mate connection, as something from the old powers, that was one part Jessica still didn't understand but the rest seemed too good to be true.

So there was a part with a mind connection and then the rest with knowing that you were meant to spend the rest of your life with that other person. Mia had gone gooey eyed by this part and then described how that no one would be able to tear them apart from that point on because their love would be too strong and never ending.

She poured over the memory and looked back at Trey; well this didn't exactly sound the same as with Millie and this Javid guy. Maybe it was simply a curse the night worlders picked up, so instead of having life threatening diseases like humans did with the likes of Cancer and Aids. Night worlders got a soul mate connection with someone and were then tortured with it for the rest of their lives.

Or maybe that was yet again another cynical view from the world of Jessica.

She had to stop herself from shrugging at the multiple of thoughts and looked back to the garden and the warm late afternoon sun pouring down on them, "So when do you expect all of this to start then?"

"Maybe another week or two, he normally catches up with me within a couple of months at most. He has a guy who tracks me and then reports back to him."

"So we have time to prepare. Are you planning on telling Millie about this? Because that will change the way we deal with it."

He shook his head solemnly, "no, she will have to deal with this without any warning. I don't want her to run off like she did last time. This time she'll have no choice but deal with it."

Jessica only nodded at him and left her own personal opinions out of it, "well, now I've got more understanding why you've been here everyday. So from now on we can be the only ones allowed to answer the door," even though she hadn't had to plan any sort of real assignment for over a year she was now sinking into the routine, "it'll be better if it's only him and Millie, any other people that come along with him will have to be disposed of. Better if only unconscious it'd be a good idea if the guy was in a receptive mood."

She paused and took a deep breath, "we're going to have to appear to leave them alone but be there all the time just in case something doesn't go to plan. Is that ok?"

He laughed, as almost in amazement, "yeah, that's great. You've just planned in seconds something I've been fretting over for weeks, how can you just do that?"

She shrugged, "the training I guess. It feels…" she struggled to find words to explain it, "it feels like planning another assignment, we always had to be another step ahead. It's always been like that," she laughed harshly at herself, "if only I was like that in my love life I wouldn't be so screwed up over it."

"Love's different," Trey said, even in the short time they had known one another they were already confiding in each other, "it doesn't make any sense and no matter how many years of training you've had, it's something you can only learn on your own. Learn from your own mistakes," he laughed and his tone lightened, "trust me; I've made many of them. Too many girlfriends to think about without getting a migraine and none of them the right ones."

She suddenly felt uneasy about going into that too intimate district and redirected the conversation back to where it was before, "Ok, we can plan all the rest later. We need to sweet talk Millie and make sure she doesn't catch on and from then on, well, we'll just have to keep our eyes open."

Trey nodded at her and got himself up from the soft grass and dusted himself down, extending his hand he helped Jessica up and they slowly walked back to the house. The sky was slowly turning to twilight and as they walked into the house and shut the door, they let the darkness consume the rest of the sky alone.

* * *

Gunner watched Mia as he sat by the window, glancing at the darkening sky, she had sat there before and she had always glanced behind her and looked his way. But as the time lengthened she didn't even do that anymore.

He had wanted so much for everything just to be all right when they had finally got his Mia back home. Hoping to see her smile and to hear her laughter. But he hadn't heard or seen either and the longer he was waiting the more his anguish built up inside, that and his anger.

Jessica had related to him what Mia had told her. Told him about the guy who had tortured her and left something in his Mia's mind that she couldn't run from and something that he couldn't save her from either.

That was the thing that hurt him the most. All of this was his fault and the more she lay there unmoving, the more he blamed himself. He was the one who had ignored her phone calls, he had simply let her go out and do the assignments by herself.

This wouldn't have befallen her if it wasn't for his own selfishness, she would still be his old Mia if he hadn't been such a fool, who had only thought of himself.

And now that he wasn't. He was torturing himself over something he couldn't change. But he would make it all right.

He had to, because if he didn't. Well, the thought was unbearable.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Trey wandered into the Kitchen, he had left Millie upstairs and she had promised to stay in the house. If his mild warning weren't enough, the pile of coursework that she was three weeks behind in would probably make up for it.

His eyes automatically went to the table and Jessica, who was sat behind it, photos and notes strewn all over it.

"Strange," he observed, "you don't normally do your assignments downstairs. I thought they were meant to be all secretive."

"They are," she didn't take her eyes off one of the photos held in her hands, a frown creased her face, "but this one isn't an assignment. This one is personal."

"Really," he stilled, maybe it would be better if he left her alone in this then. She had helped him out far beyond anything for him not to give her just mild courtesy, "so um, I'll see you later then."

"No wait, sit down," she looked up this time with a tired smile.

He sat opposite her and she passed him one of the photos, a man in his late thirties was the subject, his head was shaved and he had sharp intelligent eyes that someone would think twice before they messed about with him. It looked like a surveillance photo and all Trey could do was to look over it again to see if he missed anything and if there was a significant reason why Jessica had shown it to him.

But no matter how he tried, all he saw was a well built man who looked street wise to the extreme. He had a frown on his face that looked as if he was troubled and deep, green eyes that seemed to look through you.

He paused and went over the last part again, the green eyes, he looked up from the photo and looked up to Jessica. The same colour looked back at him.

"A relative of yours?" all this was, was merely a guess.

"My Father. Richard Thomson, Rick to everyone who knows him."

"So why all his," his hands motioned to the files and everything strewn across the table.

"He got out of prison last week. Manslaughter," she supplied to his unasked question. "He was sentenced about a year before I was recruited. He was meant to go down for fifteen years," she shrugged, "but it seems he got out two years early for good behaviour."

"So is this a bad thing?"

Jessica shook her head, "not for me, for the guys who helped send him down maybe. I knew his parole hearing was last week," she sighed, "but with all this stuff with Mia, it just slipped my mind and now with Millie. I feel I have a duty to see him, but everything has gone crazy all at once."

"Well," Trey started stacking the photos and put them all into orderly piles, "me and Millie will be safe for another two weeks at most, I talked to one of my old friends, and the guy who tracks me is still a fair way behind. So if I were you I'd get this over and done with."

"You make it sound so much more easier then it actually is though," she shook her head and picked up one of the photos, "my Father put so much in us being a family," a tight smile curved, "not all of it legal of course but that was his way. It's going to be a big thing seeing him again."

"You need to see him, I might be blind to many things Jess, but not to this. You miss him," he laughed from the sardonic look she gave him, "I know, you admitting emotion is a big thing. But I see a lot more in you then you think. You may have rejected your Mother but your Father, now that's a whole different matter."

"It's a couple of hours drive, I was thinking of getting the train instead, would cut it down to right under an hour," she looked at him and for a moment Trey could see the real Jessica within, someone who was just tired of life. "Can you drive me to the railway station?"

"Sure, Millie will have to tag along though," he paused, "when do you want  
to leave?"

Jessica looked up at the clock on the wall as it fell to twenty minutes past three, "within the hour, I'll go get my stuff together and then we can head off, I'd like to get in and set up by this evening."

"You're making it sound like another assignment."

She looked at him squarely for a moment and then nodded in defeat of his words, "I just want to get this over and done with. I've had this idolised image of him in my head since he was sent away and no matter what I do, there's nothing else in there to say he's no different."

Drawing his chair back Trey stood up and stared at Jessica for a moment, for someone who was still so young she had a hell of a lot of trials to go through yet. He stepped back and motioned to the door, "you better go and get your stuff together then. Me and Millie will be waiting down here for you."

She nodded at him and stood up, her eyes meeting his, "thank you."

Trey shrugged, "for what, the ride, it's nothing…"

"For understanding," she interrupted, "not many would."

He shrugged again and put his hands in his pockets, "it's nothing, don't worry about it."

* * *

"So," Kyle was still uneasy in her presence even though they had worked through this for a few days now. She was powerful and old, not that he would use that word in her presence of course. He could see it in her stance and her thoughtful looks out of the window, "why would you want Mr Gully?"

It was the question that had been bugging him for so long now and she simply smiled at him and sat down in the chair opposite.

"You understand about ghosts don't you Kyle, once you get to a certain age, mistakes come out to haunt you and that's what he is. An old ghost that I should never have let die."

She saw the confusion on his face and simply sighed and leant forward a fraction, "do you know what an old soul is Kyle?"

He nodded, understanding what they were meant to be in the nightworld term but nothing else. And she had done it again, no matter how long she had been using his first name, he still hadn't gotten used to it. It seemed too intimate for him, too like she knew him already. He at least wanted to fool himself for a little longer that he had at least some secrets left.

"Well at the start of my life," a soft smile crossed her face; something he could tell was hardly done now, "that was such a long time ago now. I fell in love with one and maybe it was the worse mistake in my life, but at other times I feel it was the only choice I had."

She got up again and began to pace and finally stilled beside the window, "I loved him so much but he was human and our relationship was a scorned by the ones I thought were my family." She took a deep breath and her voice suddenly came out very hollow, "they killed him, I found him, I knew already of course I could feel it and it ripped my soul apart. But as you can see I survived. I had his child a few months later; I'd ran by then and thought that because Lycoris was a part of him everything would be alright."

She turned around and faced him, "I was wrong of course. Tristan is the one; I've followed him through many lifetimes and now is my chance to remedy my mistakes. When this is all over you'll no longer need your plans to pull down the Company, because I will make him."

Kyle paused, letting all the information soak into him. "But Tristan is old," was all he could say, "he is older then me, he must be in his late fifties or sixties. How can you make everything alright when you have no common ground?"

"We have our souls, which is all we need."

And those simple words silenced him.

* * *

Sweat beaded down Mia's skin as her eyes widened and her back flattened against the hard surface of her bedroom walls. They had sent her home, said that she was physically sound and all that she needed was rest and a couple visits from the Company's resident telepath and like all the rest, she would simply be back on the mend.

She gasped for air, her eyes still trained on the figures filling her room. But like all the rest, the Company had lied, Avan had said to her that they would no longer haunt her, but their empty eyes stared in her direction and the ones that she had killed now crammed into her safe haven.

"You're…" her hands clasped over her eyes, tears trailing down her face, "you're not real," she shook her head frantically, "not real, not real."

Then the whispers started, frenzied accusations, Mia's back slid down the wall and she ended up in a curled up position, as she rocked back and forth.

'Murderer, killer, killer, Hell waits for you…'

"They won't go away…"

Mia's head shot up at the new voice, watery eyes opened. Hoping that someone had come to save her, but he was like all the rest, a transparent glow was set around him and sadness echoed in his emerald like eyes.

"No," Mia whispered back meekly, "they will never go away."

The boy knelt down beside her, "you were never meant to be like this," the boy said sadly and Mia was mesmerised by him. He looked her age, yet was dressed in simple clothing that looked like it belonged to an age a century ago, like a simple farmer boy.

A smile graced his face and she felt more tears fall down her face, he was beautiful, like an angel come down to save her, a halo of blonde hair framed his face and pale creamy skin only set out his angelical features even more.

"Who, who are you?"

He looked back at the rest that filled the room, "one of them," his voice seemed empty and suddenly as accusing as the rest, but then a soft sigh sounded and he looked back at her, "but not by you, another of your kind."

"Why are you here then?" she couldn't keep the tears from streaming down her face or the trembling in her voice, she had already lost so much, what would adding her dignity to the pile matter?

"I wanted to save you," pain seared through his words and his eyes pleaded to her as if he wanted her to understand, as if he owed her something, "but I can't," his finger came out to touch her hair but stopped a fraction away, "I can't even save you from them."

"Why?" her eyes kept darting back to the other figures in the room, they had quietened down now. There translucent bodies still lined the room, this was all her fault and there was no way she could ever stop it, "why save me? I'm already doomed."

Something in his eyes decided something and the boy sat down not a foot away from her, "you, you were meant to be mine," he said sadly, "but fate, the thing that had melded our souls together decided differently and suddenly decided to tear us apart."

"I don't believe you."

Mia only wished conviction stood in her words, she was talking to a ghost, a spirit; a manifestation from the recesses of her deluded mind and she couldn't even bring up the courage to stand up to them. She conceived herself invincible in the real world, but the moment her own mind was opened up to her and all the old ghosts brought out to try their cases, she collapsed within herself and let all the voices torment her.

But mere sadness was the only thing her words brought up in him, his hand touched the side of her face and a fleet of images filled her mind. She gasped for breath as each one rode through her. So many of them, her as they would have been if the Company had never risen.

Them before and the others many times they would be.

Tears spilled from the boys face, "all I ever wanted to do was save you," his voice suddenly stilled and a hardness entered it, familiar to dislike, "but that Avan," his emerald eyes seemed to harden, "he merely thought that he was opening up your minds to your memories," he shook his head sadly, "he opened your soul to the spirit world."

And even as inconceivable as the words seemed, Mia couldn't help but be mesmerised by them. It would all make sense, was her only argument. The Company had played many mind tricks on them in the past and none of them had ever left her with anything like this.

And the simplest answer was that she was a Witch. Her Harman genes held the most power of all the lines and the Crone and the Mothers had opened the portal to talk to the dead many times on Samhain, the most powerful day that had the living and the dead world laying side by side in harmony.

It would also make sense why they were now everywhere. It had first started when she first got back to the Compound and in the side of her eyes she would think she could see one of them staring at her, the eyeless transparent figures accusing, but once she glanced their way they would disappear and now that she was away from the Compound with all its wards and spells they had come in mass.

Her eyes met his in a stark realisation, "you said you can't save me," tears streamed from her eyes, "but I can't live like this."

The boy sighed and shook his head, "only for now," he soothed, "we will have to find another way."

* * *

Settling her bag by her feet Jessica watched her Father leave the restaurant with cold, clinical eyes.

She had decided to stay detached from this as long as possible. It would be a simple assignment. She would reinitiate contact with her Father and then chat for a couple of hours and then she would head back home where she would be back on guard protecting Millie.

If only it was as simple as it sounded. She followed them down the street, she recognised it all. She recognised her Uncle Beni beside her Father; he wasn't actually any relation to her at all. Only her God Father, but it hadn't stopped him from taking on the role.

Her Father and Beni had been friends since they had first started school and Beni was the one with all the influence in the neighbourhood. That was why it was safe for them to walk in the streets so late, because only a very stupid person would strike out at Beni and his little gang and expect to survive.

Her father had been a part of this before he had been sent to prison; it was one of the main reasons why he got sent down in the first place. She shifted the bag on her shoulder and made sure she kept a safe distance, even though she was armed to the hilt, she doubted the experience of the young men around her Father and Beni and if they actually knew how to use the guns they handled.

She would have to make contact soon, it wasn't even 10pm yet, but Jessica felt very uneasy about this whole thing from the start and meeting with her father could only assure her of two things. If her Father's love could see through all the demons that surrounded her or that she was really the monster her victims had called her.

They were heading to Beni's club, he had let his son take over management of this one though; Jessica had read through the file. She remembered his boy Callum, he was about five years older then her, so the last time she saw him was when she was six years old, just a few weeks after her father had been sent away. He had been eleven then and very protective towards her.

But they all had been then, that's how the whole thing was played. She watched them turn the corner and go into the side entrance of the club, a security pad was set against the door and Jessica watched Beni punch in the four-digit number.

She left it a couple of minutes before she went up to the door and punched in the same code, the door clicked open and surprisingly enough no one was there to guard it. She shrugged to herself as she shut the door behind her; the problem with being trained the way she was, was that she was continually surprised when she wasn't been attacked constantly.

The corridor was very quiet; the thumping of the club music could be heard as if from a long distance. So this was what was behind the scenes then, her eyes swept along the corridor and turned right for it was the only way they could have gone. The other way was a dead end and it was very unlikely that they were crammed down there. She followed the white washed walls round and finally found someone.

It was one of the young men who had been hanging around her Father and Beni; she paused for a moment, not sure if to use her gun or her knives. She went for one of her knives, a beautiful silver dagger that curved slightly at the end.

He had his back to her so there was no use for her to try any harder then she had to, she made sure her bag was comfortable over her shoulder and that there was no way it would slip, she didn't need the distraction. She smiled as she slid behind him and brought the knife forward to his throat.

"Shhh," she soothed cruelly, "don't scream or I'll cut out your voice box; you understand me? Nod if you do."

He carefully nodded; she could feel him to start to tremble.

"Good, now lead me to where Rick Thomson is and I'll leave you alive."

"He's, he's in the VIP lounge…"

"Is he and Beni the only ones in there?"

He shook his head frantically and then hissed as the blade nicked his skin, "Callum is in there too with a couple of other guys who work for them."

"So no one outside the family?"

That's what they called people who were in their little gang, Jessica would have been comforted by this at one time, but now the people she recognised as her family were all killers and the word seemed somewhat fraudulent.

He shook his head again, this time more carefully.

"Take me there," as he led the way, careful step after step she reached into his jacket and took his gun away from him and shoved it into her pocket.

He stopped before they rounded another corner, from where she held the knife to his throat she could feel him gulp, "there's," he cleared his throat and started again, "this is a main walkway, there's lots of people passing."

"Ok," she acknowledged and with her other hand she withdrew another knife and held it to spine as she guided the other one away from his throat, in a swift movement she linked her arm with his and her cold eyes locked with his as her knife moved just inside his jacket.

"If you make any sudden movements or even think of saying anything, you know where this knife will be inserted don't you?"

His face paled and he nodded, even though she didn't show it, Jessica felt mildly sorry for him. He was only young, Seventeen at most and this was probably his first ever, proper job. The sympathy fell quickly though, this would teach him to get involved in this sort of place.

People smiled at them as they walked past and even winked at the boy as if he'd got himself a nice girlfriend. Jessica dismissed this all and set her attention on everything around her as they made their way to the door.

He accordingly knocked and a young man dressed the same as her little victim answered. She viciously shoved the boy through, still keeping hold of him. Now so the knife was out for everyone to see she slammed the door shut and laid her back against it.

Six pair of eyes stared surprised at her, the boy at the door withdrew his gun and with a sigh of disbelief at his stupidity Jess simply withdrew one of her throwing knives and aimed it for his kneecap, with a little yelp he collapsed to the floor.

Her eyes surveyed the rest of the people in the room, her father, Beni, Callum and two other men now stood up surprised around a table. The other men were around her Father's age and dressed as it was all business, a couple of them moved slightly as if they were going to go for their guns.

Jessica stared at them coldly, the poor boy in her grasp now slightly hyperventilating. "Any of you move, he dies," the knife was placed just under his ribs.

Her eyes finally met with her Father's and bafflement had settled in them, a smile settled on her face, "Hello Daddy."

His eyes widened, "Jessica?"

"Sorry I'm late; I had some things to do."

He shook his head as if trying to analyse the moment, but as always Beni took over the situation and motioned to the others to sit back down and within a few steps he was a couple of feet away from her.

"In the Thomson speciality, another person in your family has yet confounded me. Leave the boy alone Jessica, I think Paul's having one of his asthma attacks."

Somewhat unwilling Jessica withdrew the Knife and pushed the boy forward; she looked at her Uncle Beni and pointed to the boy squirming on the floor, "he needs a doctor."

Beni just outright laughed and shook his head, "yes, I believe he does."

Somewhat relaxed; yet not off her guard Jessica put away her knives and kept her eyes on Beni. He silently appraised her, "you've grown up," he concluded, "but it's definitely our little Jessica, who else would have the audacity to physically wound one of my security?"

"It'll heal," she came up as her defence, feeling like she was six again and she had yet again done something she shouldn't have.

He smiled at her, a genuine one this time and motioned towards her and gave her a welcoming hug and a kiss on the forehead. "And we were all worried that you were dead," he shook his head and led her back to the table and everyone else.

Her father was still stood up in shock, his eyes trained on her like she was suddenly going to disappear. She stopped a couple of feet away from him and put her bag down to the floor, she was aware of Beni bringing an extra chair to the table and that again he was off to see the young man bleeding on the floor.

The same green eyes she recognised as if were her own, stared back at her, his hand came up and he touched the side of her face, she had to control herself so she kept still. Jessica had learnt that physical contact often ended up in pain and had on many occasions shied away from it for the same reasons.

Shaky hands came to her shoulders and he looked at her, "you are beautiful," he said to her, a slight smile touched his lips, "but you always were."

"I missed you Dad," and Jessica meant every word.

He pulled her forwards in a hug and seemed not to want to let go as he stroked her hair, finally he stepped back and Jessica could see the struggle it was for him to keep back the tears.

"Sit, sit down," he motioned and the others around them simply stared in amazement, she sat down obediently. "Now where the hell have you been?"

And the question stumped her. What was she supposed to say; the circumstances were unbelievable enough without her trying to not hurt her Father's feelings in the process.

"Dad," she shook her head, "it's hard to explain and something we have to talk about in private. Did you talk to Mum about it," the way she said the word 'Mum' made her Father wince and there was obviously no love lost between them.

"I've spoken to her since she told me you went missing, I used to ring her everyday on your birthday, but after the third year when it was obvious that you weren't coming back, I stopped. You do realise Beni has been looking for you since then, don't you?"

Jessica shook her head, "no I haven't," she looked around at the rest and the two other men got up and went over to Beni, they seemed to be excusing themselves and said their goodbyes to him. They looked back at Jessica and her Father and nodded their acknowledgements of goodbye, with that only her; her Father, Beni and Callum were left in the room.

She was surprised that after so long she had recognised Callum, but she guessed she had recognised him in the same way they had recognised her.

"Now tell me," her Father's voice had now become severe once the wounded and hyperventilated boys were escorted out of the room and Beni and Callum sat around the table with them, "where the hell did you learn to throw knives and how did you even get in here without us knowing?"

"I followed you," she told him simply, "I watched you come through the side door and I memorised the numbers you entered into the keypad and then after that I just followed the corridor down until I found that boy who with a little incentive, told me where I needed to go."

"That was cruel," Callum said, smiling at her as if he actually thought differently then his actual words.

"And the knives?"

"A hobby of mine," she told him in a half lie, because the truth was she really didn't know how to tell him.

Somehow catching onto the mood Beni motioned to his son, "now that the meeting is over, shouldn't you go back to the managers office?" he stipulated.

Nodding, Callum stood up, knowing that there was no way he could worm his way out of this one. "I'll see you later then," he turned to Jessica, "and it was nice to meet you again." And with that he took his leave and shut the door behind him.

Beni leant back in his chair and looked at the two of them, "I can leave you two in private if you want."

Jessica shook her head in the knowledge that what she was going to tell her Father was going to be repeated to Beni anyway. Jess sighed and looked over the two of them, "you might as well make yourself comfortable," she said to them softly, "Because this is hard to explain."

"What is?"

She looked at her Dad and wished that things had been different, even if only for his sake.

"The knives, it's not only a hobby. It's something I've been trained in, one of many things I've been trained in. which all connects to the reason why I went missing," she paused and looked at her father, "you know, it's probably best if you don't hear this."

But her Father's eyes said differently, "Jessica, just tell me."

"I was kidnapped, I didn't run away, I was transported to these barracks, all this top secret stuff," she shook her head, "the Company that I work for, that recruited me in the first place are in business of kidnapping children and eventually, the ones that survive anyway. They train them in how to kill people, which is what I've been doing since I was Fifth teen. You have to understand," she beseeched, mainly to her father, "this isn't a Company you just run away from at the nearest opportunity and that's why I'm going to be doing this for most of my life."

And that was when silence filled the room in a thick blanket.

"But you're my little girl, you don't kill," her Father said as trying to convince himself of it, "you don't…"

"Don't what? Slice people's innards open without a moments thought, going from one kill to the other without even thinking of the pain I've left in my wake, kill…"

"Stop it!" Her Father's voice stilled her, his hands that were resting on the table now trembling frantically, "you're my little girl."

Jessica looked over to Beni, now just tired of everything. And Beni could see it in her; he had thought that it was her just being guarded beforehand because she was in a whole new circumstance, but now he understood.

That aloofness in her eyes was there for a reason and always would be. Beni had been mixed up in the world of killing for a long while. And even though in reality it wasn't a fraction of what Jessica had done, Beni recognised that look in her eyes.

The look that said that whatever you did, whoever you thought you were, didn't matter. Because she had killed numerous more before without even thought of the cost and that your fate would eventually be the same.

Beni shook his head and his hand came out and took Jessica's in his, "poor little girl," was all that he could say.

And even though Jessica wanted them to, the words didn't comfort her, her eyes searched for her fathers and his gaze looked weakly back.

"I just need time," he said to her and then he got himself up and walked out of the room.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"He's never going to forgive me, is he?"

Beni looked down at her as he paced in front of the large fireplace. Out of all of them, Beni was the smartest, the quickest, which was why he ran everything. But now he was letting a self confessed killer into his own home, Jessica didn't know if he was stupid or just too trusting.

Either way she was grateful.

"He needs time," his brown eyes seemed to comfort her, same old eyes that in her youth she had always trusted in, "I think we all need time," he sighed, "it's not everyday that we get your kind of news."

Jessica looked at him, concentrating on his mannerism, how relaxed he was in his surrounding. He would have been a good assassin in his youth, someone many would follow.

But one suspicion entered her mind, "why didn't you doubt what I said to you? If I were in your shoes I would have had second thoughts."

Beni sat himself down in a chair opposite her and rested his hands in his lap and then settled his eyes on Jessica. "In your youth, you were special you could say, quick, smart and unhealthily curious. Do you remember that time your mother was sent into hospital because she had problems with her kidney?"

Yes, Jessica did remember that and she nodded to them. That was the time when she had walked in on Beni and her Dad, they had been teaching one rival of theirs a lesson. It had just been a pity for Jessica that at the time the man was a pile on the floor, slumped on his front as his breath came out rasping and the blood that flowed out around him soaked into his clothes.

Jessica had just looked at the man impassively; at the time she had been barely five years old.

"When you walked in on me and your Father, it was only you dropping your bag to get a closer look was when we noticed you. While you were quiet and complacent, your Father panicked and scooped you up in his arms and carried you away. But I saw the look in your eyes as your head rested on his shoulder. It wasn't one of fear, it was mere curiously and you'll never have any idea how much that scared me."

Beni got up for a moment and went to the corner to the mini drinks bar and poured him self some whisky. He had never really aged in all the time since she had seen him last. A few grey hairs littered his light brown hair but apart from that, Beni still had his enviable tanned skin and his eyes still held that wicked mischievous look.

He sat himself back down again, "a couple of days later I watched you in the restaurant as you waited for your Father to pick you up. I was looking over some papers or something, something I had already grown bored over and I stopped for a moment and watched you wondering if the memory of the half dead man would scar you. But no, it seemed not, it only seemed to me you were yet curious."

An odd smile lightened his face as he visited old memories, "you were sat there with a safety pin, and you had it so the sharp pin was out and I knew I probably should have taken it off of you straight away but like you, I was strangely curious. So I watched and I saw you bring the pin to the middle of your palm and I saw you prick yourself, you didn't wince, your face held a serious expression as if you were waiting for something to happen."

Jessica listened to him patiently; she remembered it all well, she been merely morbidly curious. But now thinking back, her behaviour had been far away from the norm.

"I watched you," he continued, "as you leant your hand to the side so the blood trickled down your palm and down to a napkin that you had settled beneath it. Then as the flow stopped in that wound you set about making another one in the other palm. I don't know if I was shocked or merely waiting for the end result of it, but I waited. You did exactly the same with the other and when the blood flow had stopped from that one, you simple set your palms in front of you and looked at them intrigued. After awhile you nodded to yourself and then picked the napkin up, licked it and set about cleaning up your palms."

He sighed again and shook his head, "you always did confuse me and still do I suppose. You had a scary talent when you were a child of being able to tell when the adults around you were lying, that's why a lot of the guys wouldn't talk about anything around you. They could see you watching them and they were scared about what else you could see. I asked you one time how you could tell and why never in children, do you remember what you replied?"

She looked at him, her eyes meeting his. "How the eyes were the window to the soul and the soul never lies and how children always mean what they say at the time, even if proven a lie later and that I wasn't likely going to rat on my friends."

Beni laughed, "Yes, so ask me the question again and you can clearly see my reasons. It was simply like this path had already been engraved out for you in stone and my surprise would had to have been flawed, because somewhere deep inside; I knew this day was coming."

Jess's cell phone ringing made but of them jump; they both laughed embarrassed as Jess searched her pockets and answered it.

"Yes?"

Trey's voice sounded at the other end.

"We have a problem; Javid's lackey has been seen in town so the likelihood is that Javid will be here within twenty four hours."

Jess couldn't help but sigh, it was just another crisis after another and at this rate it didn't look like she was going to have a break anytime soon.

"Ok, I'll get on a train as soon as possible and come down and meet you. Keep Millie in the house and keep her in the dark about this for as long as possible. We don't want this guy to see her until we're ready, I'll ring you when I know the time my train gets in, is that ok?"

"That's fine," his voice sounded tired and Jessica could only imagine what he was putting himself through, "and I'm sorry Jess, I thought we had more time."

"Me too," she muttered back, "but I'll see you soon, bye." And with that she flipped her cell phone closed and shook her head.

"Bad news?"

She looked across to Beni and nodded at him, "you could say that, I need to leave straight away. A friend has got a problem that needs to be sorted out," she picked up her bag that she had just under an hour ago put beside her chair. "Tell Dad I'm sorry and that I will be back soon," she scrambled through her pockets for some paper and a pen and scrawled down her cell number.

She passed it to Beni; "you can reach me on this. I'm sorry about this," and with that she turned around and headed for the door.

"Wait!" she turned around at Beni's voice and he walked towards her, "wait a minute and I'll get one of the boys to drop you off."

She smiled at him, "thank you."

* * *

Millie impatiently thudded her pencil against her desk, the tap, tap, tap; somewhat comforting her through the dark mood she had woken up with this morning.

No matter how much she loved her brother she hated his dogged determination at keeping her educated. She had tried to sneak out this afternoon, but Trey had kept his vigil on her and on her near escape, he had been waiting on the outside of the door, tapping his foot like he had been waiting for her.

Ok, she was about two weeks behind in her studies but that did not exactly mean that she meant it to be like that, she had merely lost track of time, something had been getting into the habit of recently.

Trey had said that's what running away from things did to you and she had simply looked at him puzzled, he had promised to stop using that word a long time ago.

That was the word Javid used the last time she saw him, she closed her eyes and tried to resurrect his image through her memories. It had been so long though since she had last seen him and she had missed him she supposed, not the ardent yearning that a wronged lover has, merely like a person who has lost something that at the time they're not even sure of what it was.

It felt like she was walking around in a haze sometimes, knowing something was missing and knowing that there was nothing she could do about it. At first she had thought that she really did miss Javid, but he still scared the life out of her with his vows of love and that he was never going to let her go. She wasn't even nineteen yet and Lamia were immortal, so forever was going to be a long, long time.

How could he have made such whimsical promises like that without a moments thought? Millie thought about it all the time, maybe Jessica was right about Love, she had said that love had just ripped her apart and wasn't worth the hassle. If she already knew this, was there really any point at all in trying any more?

She shook her head and looked back down at her textbook, as the words seemed to jump over the page; she slammed it closed and went over to slump on her bed.

Life was simply unfair and Millie seemed to be getting the full brunt of it for some reason, sometimes, she just wished she understood why.

* * *

Jessica simply looked over to Trey as they both sat on the stairs. It was in the middle of the night, Javid was expected any minute.

Trey had a phone call from his 'friend' and from the news; Javid had just made his way into town. All they had to do now was wait. Millie's bedroom window was at an angle so there so no way someone could sneak in and before Eve had wandered off earlier to sleep over a friend's she had convinced her into putting up a ward around the house for her.

So the only way in would be through the front door, the stairs were right in view of it and they had been sitting there for the last thirty minutes. They had hardly said a word since Jessica had stepped through the front door; Trey's eyes said all that they needed.

"I'm having second thoughts," he finally came out with.

Jessica looked at him with blatant shock on her face, "don't say that because I'm not listening. This is the way it has to be."

"But Millie," he pleaded.

"Millie will get over it, it will make her stronger. I've had a really bad day today Trey and this is going to be the one thing that will go to plan, do you understand me?"

With the look in Jessica's eyes he was afraid to disagree, he just nodded as he tried to reassure himself that he was doing the right thing.

"Yes," he nodded to himself, "yes I do and this will go fine."

"Yes…"

A loud banging at the door interrupted her words; Jessica got herself up and looked down at Trey, "polite isn't he?"

But Trey's eyes were wary as he got up as well, they both made their way to the door. Both aware how the noise had already probably woken Millie up, taking the initiative; Jessica opened the door.

To her surprise, only one person stood there. He looked her age, maybe a year or two older and from the look on his face he was as tired as Trey over this. He was in a smart business suit, maybe an expensive brand that Jessica didn't bother to recognise. His icy blonde hair was spiky and shadows bruised his pale skin that lay under his eyes.

His eyes were sorrowful somehow and Jessica couldn't understand how Millie could have resisted him for so long. Grey, silvery eyes looked back at them both and when he spoke his voice was soothing for the soul.

"She's here, isn't she?"

Jessica nodded, "yeah, come in. Trey you go and get her. Remember don't say a thing." At that moment she wasn't exactly sure if the last part was a simple command or a threat.

She had been through too much over the last couple of days for this to go wrong.

Jessica led him into the lounge and got him to sit down as she hovered near the door, within a couple of minutes she could hear Trey and Millie bickering as they trailed down the stairs. Millie's voice harsh as she complained about how late an hour this was and that Trey really needed to get a life.

She looked over to Javid whose eyes seemed to light up as they both heard Millie's voice, he stood up instantly, putting his hands in his pockets and then out of them. For someone so serene looking Javid was like a nervous schoolboy.

Millie's complaints instantly stopped as she stepped into the lounge, her eyes met with Javid's and her motor functions seemed to have stopped working completely, the same seemed to have happened to him as well.

Trey stood behind his sister, his ebony eyes for once not showing anything. Helping Millie along her way, Jessica guided her further into the room as Trey blocked the only exit.

"Hello."

It was Javid who broke the silence first and suddenly Millie's legs gave out altogether, she fell to her knees still dressed in her teddy bear pyjamas that she had fallen asleep in.

Javid rushed to her side and Jessica got hold of Trey's arm and led him out of the room, taking a final look in. Jessica tried to tell herself again that this would work out, she shrugged the thought away and closed the door behind her, things would work out even if not for the best.

Millie looked at him in shock, her words stuck in her throat. He was now knelt in front of her, his eyes pleading to her to say something or at least do something to break the tension. Yet she couldn't, she had never expected to see him again; all he was to her was a memory, a figure in a dream.

And now that he was in front of her, all Millie could do was stare in astonished silence.

* * *

"How," finally her vocal chords loosened up, "how did you know I was here?"

"I have eyes everywhere remember."

She hadn't built up enough courage to look at him again, but knew anyway how stunning he looked, if she describes Javid as a marble statue, everyone else in example would have to be amateur clay models. He outshone everyone around him, Millie included.

She nodded slowly; she should have expected him to catch up with her earlier. She had been gone too long and if she remembered her mother's words right, no one could run forever.

"Javid, I…" the rest of the words stuck in her throat, what could she say to him to excuse the heartache she had caused him? He would know if she lied and that was all she had been doing to herself for the last two years, she didn't even know if she could act any differently.

"Shhhh," his voice soothed, "I know, it's alright."

Her eyes came up to meet his and what she saw made her heart ache. He still loved her, she could see it there, where was the hate? It was the least she expected after all this time.

"No, you should hate me." She shook her head, returning her gaze to the worn carpet. "I, I deserve your hate, you should leave."

But he stayed by her, his fingers coming up to touch her hair, "do you want me to?"

She shook her head again, but the words she used defied her action, "I don't know."

He snatched his fingers away, "you never know, do you?"

And everything seemed to still and her eyes went up to meet his, "I was only sixteen, what else did you expect from me?"

He stood up and eventually sat down on one of the chairs, far enough away so he wouldn't be tempted to touch her. "I expected the same in return of what I gave freely to you."

Millie shifted so she was now sat down with the legs crossed in front of her, easing the ache from where she landed on them, "you scared me Javid, you still do now. You wanted things from me that I had no comprehension on how to give, you expected my soul in return of yours, but I hadn't even made peace with my own. why do you think I wouldn't give it away?"

"So why didn't you tell me then?" he motioned his arm around the room, "why wait for it to come to this?"

"Because I was scared! Is it really hard for you to comprehend that? I was stupid and I admit it, all I thought about was me and what I was going through, I wasn't ready for you and no way in hell was I ready for us. So I did the easiest thing, I ran."

"For two years," he finished for her.

"Yeah, for two years, come on, what do you expect from me?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, I never saw past this moment. All I ever wanted was you back and now that you are here right in front of me," he sighed, "I have no idea of what to do next."

And all Millie could do was stare at him, wishing she knew as well.

* * *

Trey looked over to Jessica as she sat in the kitchen, doodling on an old envelope. "What do you think they're doing?"

Her eyes lifted from her work, which were deadpan and bored, "the Macarena?"

"Jessica, I'm serious!"

She sighed, "what do you think, you're the telepath remember. They haven't seen each other for the last two years, what do you expect they're doing?"

"She's fine, right?" His hand thrummed on the table until she looked back up to him, "right Jessica?"

"Right Trey," she mimicked. Her voice as aggravated as his and looked back down at the table, her hand rhythmically sketching across the paper.

"Now, what is your problem?"

She sighed and looked up at him, "my problem Trey, do you really want to know?"

The frustration subsided from his voice and tired concern entered, "yes I would."

Unfortunately for him, it didn't subside in Jessica. "I have a friend who theoretically isn't anymore. Because every time I look at Mia, I hardly recognised her, I talked to Hira who says she might be going insane and I've decided the only way I can handle it, is not think about it. I also have a Father who won't speak to me, hardly look at me, all because of what I am and what I can't stop being. The Company…" she threw the pen and paper off the table, "well, I have no idea what's going on there, but whatever it is, is big and most probably bad for the underdogs like me."

She shook her head, biting her lip as if she was keeping back her words, "everything is going downhill," she said eventually, "and I have no idea why."

Trey looked at her shocked at her first every show of real emotion. He had been around Jessica for a while now and she had never lost her cool and now she had, Trey somehow wished she hadn't. He knew Jessica's life must be difficult, all the most composed peoples' lives were.

He didn't have any words to say to her. Nothing he could say would soothe her so there was no point in trying, Jessica would just have to sort it all out for herself, like she always had and always will. She was a loner and that was the responsibility she had to hold for the title.

He looked back into the hallway and his eyes skimmed the lounge door, he knew one day he would have to stop over protecting Millie, it was just when the time arrived it always felt like it was too soon.

"Come on," he urged Jessica while he extended his hand to her, "let's go out, something has to be open, even if only a coffee shop."

She nodded at him and took his hand, "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He shook his head, "don't be, where would the fun be if things didn't come unexpectedly," he shrugged, "and anyway, I deserved it and from the looks of it, you needed it," his eyes scanned the door as they walked past, "come on, lets get out of here quickly before I can no longer deny the urge to slam open that door and kick Javid's arse."

She laughed and hurried him along.

* * *

Beni looked over to his friend, Rick had been informed of his daughter's departure and had looked up at him as if he barely recognised who was before him.

"Rick, you will have to get over this." He had known the man too long just to let him drown in something so easy as this.

"Get over what? The realisation that my little girl is a killer."

"She is not your little girl anymore though, is she?" Beni shook his head, "she is a young lady with a mind of her own, twelve years is a long time my friend. Maybe you should stop agonising over what is and maybe concentrate on who she has grown into."

"And maybe you should mind your own business," Rick curtly snapped, "you've never had to handle something like this, Callum has always been a good boy, someone for you to be proud of."

"And Jessica isn't? Did you see her? Because if you truly did you wouldn't even mutter something like that, she is a beautiful young lady, with the world at her feet…"

"But that is my problem though, can't you see it? She has the world at her feet and where do I fit in? Nowhere, that is the answer. Whoever took her knew what they were doing; she's like an elegant ice queen upon her invisible throne and no matter what I do, I can't see myself ever being able to thaw the ice and seeing the real her."

"Give it time and she will relent, you are her Father. If she didn't want you, she would have segregated you from her life just like she did Linda…" and at that moment Beni realised that he had said too much.

Murder entered Rick's eyes; "you didn't say anything about her seeing Linda. What so you mean segregated?"

Beni gulped and sat down himself, "I got in contact with her a while back; I ring her every year on Jessica's birthday, just to see how she's doing and the progress of things…"

"She told you, she told you she saw Jessica. But you told me Jessica was still missing, why didn't you say anything?"

"Linda was very upset, crying down the phone, saying she saw her in hospital when her little boy was in the same one being treated for leukaemia. She said that Jessica blanked her, didn't want to speak to her. Foreboded her from ever speaking to her or seeing her again, she was crushed, especially when…" Beni's words trailed away, why hadn't he ever learned to keep his mouth shut?

"Especially when what?" Rick growled.

"Especially when Jessica started regularly visiting her little boy Kieran and even in the end saved his life by donating some of her bone marrow. When she did that Linda realised that it was only her, Jessica couldn't stand to be around. She blames it on her bad mothering and how much she was screwed up after you were sent to prison, she admitted she was a bad mother then and now regrets it that she can't say sorry to her because of it."

"And this is supposed to make me feel better?"

"No Rick, it's supposed to make you see the fact that Jessica does what she does for a reason, if she didn't want or need you in anyway, she wouldn't have come. Wouldn't have made the effort she had. So stop being a pathetic mess and ring the girl." Beni passed the number already written down for him on a piece of paper, "don't you think it's about time you gave both of you a second chance?"

Rick sat solemnly saying nothing except staring down at the piece of paper that trembled in his hand, Beni eventually sighed and made his way out of the room.

* * *

"It must get lonely."

Jessica looked up at Trey as she brooded over her coffee, "it never used to be," she admitted, "but yeah, now it is and you know what the worst thing is?"

Her eyes seared into his and no matter how hard Trey tried, he couldn't help but pity her, her voice was clipped and hard and he wondered how long she could last.

He shook his head to her question and her eyes lowered.

"The worst thing is that this is all I have. This perpetual silence between events and friends I know I'll eventually lose."

Trey's ebony eyes gazed at her as her own returned to her coffee. She was very beautiful, a beauty that could haunt you for the rest of your days if you weren't lucky. Beauty always came with a cost, the night worlders paid for it with their humanity and Jessica had paid for it with her happiness, sheer desolate beauty that she held without wanting.

Trey had wanted her at the start, someone to fill the empty spaces that had erupted within him in the last two years. But he had soon realised that his wanting of her was all he would ever have. She had told him about Ryan at the start, when they had first started this friendship, the friendship that Trey had been so surprised that he had clung onto so tentatively.

Her words had made his heart twist for her, love and duty had torn her into two. The Company and Ryan had always been the same thing to her and when the decision arose that she would have to choose between them. She chose the one thing she knew would never fail her; she had admitted to him, she sometimes thought she had made the wrong choice.

Had said that when she sat alone by moonlight and all she could hear were the insects and bugs outside her room. That was the time she would realise what she had truly given up. Where she would yearn for his warm arms around her and his soft words to comfort her.

But like any tale, she had told him with eyebrows raised and a cynical look in her eyes, those yearnings would vanish by the rising of the sun, which would banish the shadows of her thoughts and return her to the normality of her life.

Trey doubted very seriously that there was anything that could be called normal in her life, the word seemed too mundane for her and in every term didn't belong in her world.

"As long as you need me," he soothed to her, "I will be here."

A soft smile traced her lips, "thank you," but he could see the hidden disbelief in her eyes, she'd had too much taken away from her over the years to believe in such words.

"Trey?"

"Yes?"

Her eyes were unusually unsure, "I've heard rumours."

"Rumours of what?"

"The Company is falling," her voice was empty, but Trey knew what this would mean for her, if it was true, Jessica would have no where to go and the last few years of her existence would to her be meaningless.

"What did you hear?"

She sighed, "People are dying, the people who run the Company. You have to understand; the Company is made out of fickle traditions, which mean that certain things fall down to only one person. And this one person carries out their business that is the corner stones of the Company; there are about nine different people with different directives on the boards for this and seven have been killed within the last ten months."

Trey look in a sharp breath, he tried to understand the importance of this. So now there were only two of the original, if so many casualties had fallen, how did the Company continue? He voiced his question to her.

"There have been replacements," she told him knowing full well that she shouldn't be telling him a thing, that this could be punishable by death for the both of them. But the Company were hundreds upon hundreds miles away and it wasn't until this moment, she realised how disjointed she felt from them.

"But these replacements," she continued as if her revelation hadn't happened, "they don't know things that they should. The others have taken that knowledge to their graves and the one person who does know, who can come and bring the Company back together as if these events never happened is happily lazing in his Country retreat."

"Why didn't you tell me this before, if this has been worrying you?"

"Because the Company's problems are private and if the Company falls, what will I do? If it does fall there won't be any logical reason for me to hate Ryan anymore, no motive. Because if they do, he can come back and I can't face him if he does."

"I think you can," Trey assured her, "and when and if it does come along. You won't be alone, you have us; you've become an extended person in my family now and remember the others will be in exactly the same position. You will never be alone, and if you are, it will be only by your own making."

His words didn't soothe her and her eyes looked at the remains of her coffees as she whirled it in her cup, "they will fall," she said as if to herself, "and then I will truly be on my own."

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Mia stilled and looked at the boy more clearly; day had crept into the shadows of her room and left the other ghosts to settle back into their other world until darkness descended again. But the boy was still here; she looked at him as if amazed.

He had said that she was his soul mate, the only thing that she still believed in from the life she had shared with her parents. And she was still astounded sometimes that she did, she lived in a world where hope was easily extinguished with a sharp blade or a well-aimed bullet.

Such a word was seen in one of their target's eyes before they dealt the killing blow, but to hold it, especially someone like her, well it didn't happen and soul mates only existed for the good and pure of heart. Someone like her didn't deserve him. That was what the others whispered when he wasn't about, so maybe it was true.

"What shall I do?" she whispered to him, partially afraid that the other dead would hear her desperate plea even though they weren't in sight and muffle the boy before he could tell her.

He shrugged, her angel just stared down at her with solemn eyes and shook his head, "I don't know, but we will," he assured, "you need to go out and get some witch books, you need to research on what he has done to you."

"Why?"

For some strange reason the outside world didn't seem appealing anymore, the more she stayed inside. The more she could convince herself that this couldn't be real and there would be maybe one day when she would wake up and everything would be alright.

He knelt back down in front of her and his ghostly hand somehow pushed back some hair away from her face, "when we know more about how he did this, the better chance we have of making it better. There should be a way we can stop this, I promise."

Mia nodded slowly, he had promised so everything had to be all right.

It took a little while to get herself up and changed from her night clothes; she washed her face and brushed her hair methodically. Her hair gleamed from where she stood in front of the mirror; the white blonde seeming unearthly set against her paled face and shadowed eyes.

She looked away quickly and grabbed a coat that laid across one the chairs in her bedroom, making sure that she had everything with her she made her way out of the apartment and down to the street below. The harsh rays from the sun hurt her eyes and she squinted as she turned the corner and made her way to the only witch shop in town.

It was owned by the Goodkind family and had a very good reputation; she had only gone into the shop a couple of times before and both times with Nic. The Company supplied them with all their materials they used when doing the spells for work, so the only real reason they went in there was for recreational use and of course to show off to the other recruits.

It took her about twenty minutes to walk to the shop and it wasn't until she was a couple of minutes down the street that she noticed that the boy hadn't followed her. Maybe he couldn't be seen in daylight or merely crowd shy.

She went around to the side entrance of the shop to a door that only opened to a simple spell to ensure of authenticity. She passed with ease and thanked that the owners had much mind to keep the inside of the shop away from the harsh glare of the sun.

A girl in her mid teens manned the counter that was at the front of the private part of the shop and of course at the back of the public. Her eyes scanned along the lines of books and sighed irritably to herself. A soft cough sounded behind her and the teen stood in front of her.

"Can I help you with anything?"

Mia watched her with quiet calm as the girl surveyed her. The witches in this area were all tightly knit because of the lack of quantity and not being known to one of them was of great interest, it was the main reason she kept to herself, the instant you made friends with one of them, was the instant your cover was blown.

They all knew everyone else and the speed of word of mouth would spread. Even Circle Midnight didn't associate themselves with her kind. She was a leper amongst them and no one would even come near her in the fear that she would infect them.

"Yes you can, I need to research up on some things."

The girl smiled at her and withdrew a small note pad and pencil, "ok, go ahead."

"I need some books on the dead, spirits that are not at rest. Also," she added noting the girl's look, "I need some about what separates the spirit world and the human one and what would happen if an opening appeared," the girls grew larger but she kept quiet, "and also about exorcisms. Is that Ok?"

The girl nodded and walked away towards the bookcases.

* * *

Jessica sat in her room and looked at her already packed bags again. She needed to go away. Javid had left early this morning and afterwards Millie had just walked mutely to her room.

They had all been in an ominous mood and had gone to rest in their rooms without any words. Trey was set up in the spare bedroom and Jessica doubted if he had really gotten any sleep. Out of all of this, strangely enough Jessica felt sorry for Matilda, who kept out of the way as everyone else used her home for their own little pursuits.

Out of all the havoc last night Matilda hadn't come out of her room once. She had given Jessica a querying look this morning but apart from that she had been her happy self as she fussed over everyone else.

That was when the guilt resurfaced again. Matilda had so much faith in her that she had said numerous times that she didn't need to know what was going on, because if she really did need to know, Jessica would tell her. If things had been different, Jessica would have enjoyed her time here more. Matilda was the mother figure she needed, it was just a pity now that she was just too busy or in her own opinion, just too self-absorbed.

So now everything was sorted out here to a degree she knew violence wasn't needed, her part in it had ended and she could try and sort out her own life again. The Company hadn't given her an assignment for about three weeks now and she doubted if any time soon that she was going to get one.

She had packed her weapons just in case though and had told Ivy at the Compound where she would be. Out of all the things that had happened and was sure to happen, she didn't need the Company hassling her. As long as she told them the details of her life and that she wasn't about to run off, they were fine with it.

And anyway, ever since Ryan's desertion, her duties had been put down to part time. A lone assassin wasn't very good as the others and especially because Jessica was Human. A human ran company that didn't trust having their own kind doing the most important job in the place, she didn't know what it was but she was sure that Mr Gully had some people issues on that count.

She picked up her bag and headed for the door, she had given Trey some money to buy her a cheap car from the used car dealership on the other side of town. So now with her blue car, that she only hoped was drivable, she would head back to Beni's and hang around long enough until her Dad decided to talk to her.

Beni had said that he needed help around the business. Something about a business deal with someone that Jessica would probably know more about then he would. All of that had been very cryptic and because she had been looking for an excuse to go back anyway, she had accepted and rapidly started getting her stuff together.

Jessica hated to admit it, but he needed her Father's forgiveness, his acceptance for her way of life. It was getting harder each year, carrying out what she did. She needed someone to tell her it was all right, not in the moral sense, but in the way that it was a job that had to be done. A job that had been done down the centuries and she was just taking up the role as many had done before.

She looked at her bag and wistfully picked it up, knowing that it would be better if she just stayed behind. Maybe not knowing what her Father thought would save her a lot of heartache, her Father had always been very passionate and he always had done things for a reason.

Him ignoring her maybe meant that it was something that was best not looked into. Killing people was a big deal and not matter how casually she thought about it, she had to remember. In the outside world, these acts were illegal; murder wasn't part of a day-to-day job to the regular Joe of America.

And that said it all really. Her father wasn't exactly a person who could be categorised as someone who had led his life by strict morals. He had done some pretty bad things in his lifetime, but compared to his daughter it would be like comparing a petty thief to a serial killer.

There was no way you could really set the two in the same frame of mind. What she did set her apart from him in a big way and it would have to be his choice alone if he wanted to mix himself up in the type of dirty work she was employed to do.

It would have to be his moral choice. It was hard to think that she could have fit within them in the past. Now her and morals just didn't fit in the same sentence. She sighed and walked out of the door and down the stairs.

Shouting her leave she walked out of the house and into her car.

Maybe facing her past wasn't exactly the best idea around. But not always the best ideas were the right ones. Even if her Father did disown her, she knew she had done the right thing. It wouldn't have been right to leave him with a lie and that was all his former memory of her was.

* * *

The girl looked at her warily as she laid the last pile of books upon the table. Mia mumbled a thank you and flicked through the pages slowly, her eyes down.

She didn't want to see the look in the girl's eyes. The truth was that she didn't want to look up at all, the boy with the emerald eyes had returned, following a short while after she had sat down with her notebook and pen and the girl started piling the books beside her.

She had started enjoying his company though, it was just the fact that the others had filled the room soon after, that had ruined it all.

In the usual manner they had hummed their air of disapproval, then she could hear more of the whispers. Mia was teaching herself to ignore them, but it was hard when all she could think about, was that all they wanted; was her death.

The girl cleared her throat, "are you all right?"

Mia looked up at her, the dreary tiredness returning to her again, she nodded at the girl and set her head back down.

"Are you sure? Those books aren't normally asked for. If you're in any trouble I'm sure…"

"I'm fine," Mia snapped defiantly, "nothing I can't sort out by myself," she said, lying ever so easily.

The girl finally retreated and Mia watched her through the hair that fell around her face, she would have to keep an eye on her little white lies more often now. The Company had merely built up the lying as part of their lives, games that they used to play in the classroom.

The winner was always the best liar. She would have to sit down one day, she had decided and pick through her life and see if she could any longer tell her actual self from the lies that were woven within it.

She looked at the spirit that had called him self her soul mate and sighed despairingly, she had trawled through ten books so far and had merely given her more detail on what she already knew. She knew that she had somehow opened a portal to the spirit world; the ghosts around her had given her that hint.

And as it had depicted it in the book, because she was the one that had opened it, she was the only one who would be able to see and communicate with them. She shook her head, she knew that, knew it all.

But it was only when she had trudged across a certain piece of knowledge that she finally knew that maybe there would never be a way out of this.

The person who opened the door to the spirit world was the only one could close it and from the book she had read it from, it had to be done in a way, which reversed the effects of the first spell.

The thing was, she didn't know what the first spell had been. Hadn't even known that there had been one, so until she found out how she had done it, there was no way she could reverse it.

So she had spent the last four - five books, trying to find out some clues how she had.

But she knew the reality of it, the only real person who would have half a clue of what had been done, was Avan. And there was no way in hell that she was going near that man, even if her sanity was in the balance.

That man had caused all this and there was no way she was going to go and find him in pursuit of her little cure, when the only real result of the meeting would be her, yet again, losing control of her very fragile sanity

She had lost too much already and didn't fancy going back for seconds.

* * *

"So what do you want me to do?"

Beni looked at his Goddaughter in distain, "you need to shop."

She stared at him in momentary surprise, "Shop?"

"Yes, you heard me. If you are going to fit in here without anyone getting suspicious, you're going to have to fit in with the other girls in the family," he looked her up and down and shook his head, "so that means, no more ninja gear. You hear me?"

"Yes, Beni," Jessica felt like sighing, yet again she felt like she was six. "So what do you want to me to get?"

"Clothes," he said expressively, waved his hand at her as if he had already lost his patience with her. "You will have the company of my niece Maria, she will be your shopping buddy for the day and believe me, she knows how to shop. My sister has shown me the credit card bills, now is that alright?"

She nodded, "Yes Beni."

"Good, now go get ready, she'll be here in twenty minutes and no scaring her, OK?"

"Me, scare her?" she said credibly, "little me, scare anybody?"

He shook his head and laughed, "yes you, Maria is not the brightest of people my dear and in simple terms, very naive. And that's the way I want to keep it, you understand me Miss?"

Jessica had simply nodded at him; she had not expected this as part of her day, or at least part of her stay. But she would sustain it, because that was what she did.

When Maria eventually arrived, Jessica wasn't surprised by her appearance. She was a blond hair, blue eyed typical American Middle class girl. Trying not to choke on her disgust, she dragged herself out and trailed behind as Maria decided what she should buy.

Jessica simply nodded, in the first hour, Maria had decided that pink was definitely not Jessica's colour and had opted for softer colours. Maria's words to her were that her Uncle wanted her to look more innocent and less daunting.

Jessica had simple raised her eyes brows and handed over her bankcard again as more clothes were brought.

After four hours, Jessica was at the stage of wanting to kill her, she had four bags in each hand and two of them weren't even hers. They had finally negotiated that they would go and sit down for Coffee.

A compromise that meant Maria would keep her limps attached and that the Company, for her doing an unauthorised kill wouldn't punish her.

They both sat down in the nearest contemporary coffee bar and Maria automatically let out all her latest spiel.

Jessica dimmed her out by her first few words of, 'by the way, have you heard…' it wasn't a question. It just another opening for another one of her little rants about how everything would have been so much more better if she had organised it in the first place.

Instead Jessica with her hands securely around her coffee cup, just in case they would unconsciously go for Maria's throat, started to look around the place. An old habit of hers, one that she always used no matter the circumstance.

It was the normal type of place, one that had been opened in the last few months and had tried to make an impact on the market. It had all the modern art on the walls; a couple of leather sofas in the corner and a few art deco chairs nestled around some tables. Jazz softly hummed out of the speakers that were concealed in the walls.

It was meant to be a place to relax with friends, after work or a hard day shopping and it did, for everyone else it was. Jessica just sat there uncomfortable, Maria still jabbering on, still dumb in the idea that she wasn't really interested.

Jessica wanted to run out, the people, the humans in the room unsettled her. They were so normal, so happy chatting away, so blind to everything that was going on around them.

And because she wasn't, because she knew the pain of death and betrayal, because she had seen the things that no one would wish for, even in their nightmares. She had been given this realisation that she didn't want. The world was cruel, uncaring and no matter what you did no one would ever notice the things that you've done.

She must have been daydreaming, spaced out, because suddenly someone else's voice was speaking to her, calling her name. She blinked and turned around to the speaker.

She couldn't keep a smile from her face as she saw the long ago stranger in front of her.

"Hello Zeke."

His blue eyes seemed to engulf her as he smiled back and sat opposite her, "so it's been a long time, how have you ended up here then?"

Jessica had been successfully forgetting Maria until a bashful little cough interrupted their little tête-à-tête; they both looked over to Maria. Both not amused and deadpan.

She giggled, "so this is your friend, Jessica you should have told me you knew so handsome men," she gave her most seductive smile, "so how did you two meet?"

"In Vegas," Zeke supplied looking back over to Jessica, his gaze had softened again, "on a very lucky night on my part, but as usual I screwed up and couldn't bring up the nerve to ring her."

"Oh," Maria's voice was deflated, "well anyway, Jessica I think I'm going to go home. Can you wait outside with me while I hail a taxi; I can drop your stuff at uncle Beni's?"

Jessica nodded and smiled at her, thankful for her first considerate act of the day. "Yeah ok," she looked back over to Zeke, "are you busy? Because if not, you can give me a few minutes and we can catch up."

"Not busy at all," he did his heart-breaking smile again and shrugged, "well, it can all wait."

Jessica gathered the bags and ushered Maria into the first taxi that flew past, when this had first started, almost a month ago now, she thought she would never get another chance with someone like him.

She had simply thought he had been there just as a show of what she could never have. But this second chance she was being given. Well, she had let too many things slip by these past months, just to do something like that again.

She sat down opposite him again and smiled at him. If only she knew the fraction of the effect that simple action had on him, she would have the key to controlling him for an eternity and the state Zeke was feeling in right now, he would have blissfully followed.

"So," she headed for the direct line of fire, "why didn't you call?"

He seemed to visible gulp, he was still as gorgeous as she remembered; her memory hadn't warped it at all. He looked like all the modern sex icons rolled into one and then simply given the composure of a god from long ago.

"I was stupid," he admitted to her, he had thought about her too many times to count over the last month and each time his heart yearned more for her. This was always like him, his heart ruling over his head. "Stupid and weak and afraid," he laughed at himself, "What else can I add to that mess? I don't know what I was doing and pushing you as far away from me as possible seemed the only explanation at the time."

"That's a terrible excuse."

"I know."

She had to remind herself why she was in the City for the first place, Zeke; well she had never planned on this. She still thought he was somewhere in Vegas, but her Father had to be the important one here.

That thought to her should have been laughable, her actually putting people in order of importance. When had she really cared for anyone in the past to even think of them like that?

"Will you forgive me?"

She lifted up her head to look at him again. Jessica had already forgave him when her eyes first met his moments ago, but she merely smiled at him, "ok, but it has to work both ways."

A corner of his mouth lifted up in a half smile, grimace, sort of expression, "so you still do what you did?"

She nodded her green eyes seemingly cavernous compared to his clear, bright blue, "did you really expect anything else?"

"No," he told her truthfully, "You wouldn't be you if not, but for my moral conscience deep down just maybe."

"I would say I'm sorry," she admitted to him, "but I'd be lying, I do what I do because I'm good at it and it would be worthless lying to you over it."

He nodded and silence drifted between them, he had changed little since their last meeting, his black hair was shorter now and was softly spiked. His long sleeved t-shirt covered his tattooed arms, but Jessica still had to keep her nerves under control.

No matter what he looked like, or what he wore, he was still the most attractive guy she had seen. Maybe not wholly on the outside, but the way he composed himself and the half smile he did, made butterflies leap up inside her stomach.

Zeke was gorgeous and strangely enough, Jessica wasn't too concerned about him finding out.

"Will you go out with me?"

The words leapt out and he looked at her expectantly.

A smile crept on her face and she nodded, "yeah, yeah I will."

He sat back in his chair, more relaxed then he had been since he had gotten here. He sighed, "Thank the Goddess for that," his hand came forward and took hers.

Yet more butterflies appeared and Jessica couldn't keep down a shiver of delight as his lips came to her palm in a soft kiss.

Her cell phone shrilled and vibrated in her pocket, she slightly jumped and Zeke let go of her hand. She mumbled a sorry as she looked down at it, she sighed and answered.

"Yes Uncle Beni?" she said tiredly, ready for the abuse because she had let Maria go off on her own.

"Maria has dropped off your stuff, now where have you gone to?"

"The Caribbean?"

"Jessica!"

She sighed, now she remembered why she had a small dislike to Beni in her youth. He was a control freak, "I'm having Coffee with a friend," boyfriend now actually, the back of her mind whispered, "what had Maria been up to now?"

"She came back, saying you were having drinks with your future husband."

Jessica couldn't help but laugh, "God, he only asked me out a minute ago, isn't Maria being a bit zealous?"

"Maria has many talents and other people's relationship's being one of them." Beni curtly changed the subject, "A certain businessman is coming round this evening. He's young, around Callum's age, yet very dangerous and precocious, your type of person I think. That is why I need you around."

She sighed for the second time, "Ok," she moaned, "I'll be back within the next couple of hours, happy now?"

"Very much so, now be safe and don't be too long."

"Yes Uncle Beni."

Jessica mumbled a few profanities as she put away her phone.

"Good news I see," Zeke voice intervened in her bad mood.

She smiled at him and shook her head, "family, never expect me to have my own life."

His eyes widened in disbelief, "you're in contact with your family?"

"In contact and staying with them unfortunately, I think now I know why I went missing for twelve years," she sighed, "oh well."

Zeke stood up and walked up next to her and took her hand, "come on," he coaxed, "I'll walk you home."

She smiled at him and entwined her fingers within his and happily accepted.

* * *

Kyle's fingers nervously twitched around the half scrunched up piece of paper in his hand. He had finally received what he had been mercilessly seeking for the last month and now that he had it, he didn't know what to do with it.

He was like a child, finally getting the toy he had harassed his parents for, for the last year and now that he had it, he was afraid to play with it unless he scratched it or maybe the main fact that he was afraid that it wasn't as good as he really expected.

He knew; he knew where the man was who had created the Company. He had pulled a lot of strings for this. Had used the Company's assassins and even employees unknowingly. He had waited so long and now that he had this simple piece of paper in his hand.

He wasn't sure what to do with it.

He had promised to give it to Elizabeth, a trade for her silence. That and the main fact, he was sure he wouldn't even know what to do when he did face Gully in the end.

But he would wait; he would wait until the time was good for him and the assassins, his children. Not by blood maybe, but he had spent his life with them, he had wasted years away watching them grow and develop into what they were.

And many parents, he accepted full responsibility of what they turned into.  
He had taken a huge part in their childhood. It was unfair to say that none of it was his fault because it was, all of it was.

He would wait until the Company nearly turned to anarchy and then, heroically, he would give the details to Elizabeth and then give his assassins another way of life; an escape from the travesty that they had grown up in.

Yes, he would wait and then just maybe, he could save them all.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Jessica yawned and stretched, propping her legs up on the coffee table and with an automatic reprimand, Beni walked by and with a swift motion lifted them off.

They were waiting for the man Beni referred to as Mr Sequoia, when Jessica had asked for his first name, Beni had merely shrugged; he didn't know, was his reply. They simple referred to him as Sequoia and no one seemed to mind, Jessica though. She preferred to know more about the guy then just her Uncle's description.

From what he had said Sequoia was male, in his mid twenties, around 6 ft and very handsome. She had to admit, Beni calling any man handsome was a feat. So when he had said it, Jessica had to take his words at face value.

It was surprising though; Sequoia owned half of the City and from Beni's contacts. A lot of his property wasn't even under his own name.

Jessica had been in this type of business for a long time, had grown up with it. Her uncle Beni was even one of one of the people who was a main player in it. It wouldn't have been surprising if Sequoia had inherited this mini fortune off his Father or other family member. Because that was the way that things was done around here.

But Sequoia had built up everything from nothing. He had not come through this through his family, not even acquaintances. He had done this out of his own integrity and that was the thing that was worrying Jessica and Beni.

Men like that were never easy to deal with and in this business; whatever their guise, had always wanted more.

Jessica felt, especially with Beni's behaviour, which was the main reason she was here. She could spot a liar, Beni had always said that and now he was hoping that she could save his ass from a man like Sequoia. The truth was; Jessica wasn't sure she could and even if she could, didn't even know how.

The man was running late, which could mean two things. That the man wasn't very well organised, which was unlikely or he was flaunting his power by making Beni wait, the latter was the more believable.

Jessica shifted in her suit, she was sure she looked like a lawyer or some other stupid businesswoman. In her own opinion, her skirt was too short and the colour too, well too blue.

She hated the way she looked, but if it made Beni feel better, she would put up with it.

Her Father had come to attend this meeting as well, but he was on the other side of the room, sitting around the table as Jessica lounged on one of the sofas along the edge. This way she was in view of all the doors and was out of view of the windows.

No matter how long she had spent the last year away from the Company, she never forgot the lessons.

But sometimes she wished she had, her Father's lack of acknowledgement of her disturbed her. She caught his fleeting glances from time to time, but he had resisted eye contact and made out like she wasn't even in the room.

Her Father being the only one in the room who was not interested in her, her Uncle Beni's business was in honest truth a man's place. No matter how far woman had gone up in the career ladder in the last few years, they would never be ready for the type of stuff Beni did.

But whatever the reason, it had kept them out of the limelight in the business, so that was the cause why Jessica was the only female in the room with nine other men. They had all eyed her warily as they had entered; she expected that Beni had at least told them something about her, even if that something was a partial lie.

They had all approached her with a dignified respect and shook her hand; Beni had approached her afterwards and had warned her about her behaviour. In her opinion she had simply been standing by a wall.

But Beni had said that she looked like a high Empress ready to unemotional send her men off to get killed. She didn't ask where he had got that particular notion from, but had promptly sat herself down and had tried to concentrate on more inane stuff, like puppies and why you never saw hamsters in the wild.

They were an hour late by the time someone announced Mr Sequoia's arrival. Jessica was bored and had unsheathed a blade from the inside of her jacket and started picking out the grime from underneath her nails.

But upon the announcement she promptly hid it back in it's hiding place.

She had been advised by Beni to stay at the sidelines throughout the proceedings and take mental notes about the man, Jessica had silently obeyed; She would never have been expected to do such an inane act when on assignment, but had instantly registered Beni's concern and had put her simple bigotry aside.

Beni had been right about Sequoia; he looked like a very ambitious man as he walked into the room, Very ambitious and very much a night worlder.

If his walk hadn't given him away about what he was, his posture, his composure and most of all, his eye widening beauty would have. She simply shrugged his looks aside though, all Night worlders were beautiful, and that was the scam. The last thing you saw just before your death, a sort of compensation for your stupidity and your life.

His eyes was the thing though, he had old eyes, eyes that had seen too many things. Yet refused to glaze over, as many others would have, but they still held a certain clarity. Even with that though it had made Jessica heighten her senses threefold just so that she could make sure he wouldn't foil her cover.

But thankfully within the first couple of minutes while he was making pleasantries with everyone in the room she had twigged that he was lamia and that her cover would be alright for now. If he had been a shapeshifter she would have been in trouble, because maybe he would have just started questioning why she didn't have a life force.

Thankfully none of his guards and acquaintances were either; she sat back in the chair making sure she didn't bring any attention to herself.

But as she expected, Sequoia was good and had soon noticed her presence.

"And it seems I've missed someone out, Beni who is this?"

Jessica stood up and looked at her Uncle Beni, making sure he didn't slip up.

"This is my Goddaughter Jessica; she will be sitting in with these proceedings. You have your guards," he said simply, "and I have mine."

Most men would have laughed at Beni's proposal, a girl protecting someone like him. But Sequoia simple surveyed her and raised his eyebrows, within seconds that no one would have noticed in the room, she felt a feathery touch caress her mind and pinpointed it as Sequoia. With a simple mental slap she had learnt off Hira she pushed his intrusion away.

Surprise played on Sequoia's face for a mere second as his composure quietened again and covered it. He smiled at her, "well done," he whispered to her and with that turned away.

Jessica quietened her nerves as she retook her place on the sofa. The men had all sat themselves down and all their own security lined the walls.

She couldn't help but smile, the men didn't need the security, everyone in the room excluding Sequoia had known each other since they had been youths, but they were simple trophies of power, these men that swarmed around them with their guns. The more you had, the more money you to flaunt or maybe it was sheer naivety on their part, when someone like Jessica could have taken out the men in a few minutes.

She kept her eye on Sequoia though. Night worlders were dangerous; it was stupid to think otherwise. But with them and property and things that they wanted, well that was crossing into perilous land.

What they wanted, they got.

It was simple as that and could have been traced down the centuries, with the witches and their battle against the Dragons, with Maya and her battle for immortality, what they wanted, they had always received. Not always the ways they had wanted it, but there never the less.

The discussions lasted for seven hours, Sequoia wanted to buy property. A lot of it being very important to the men he wanted to buy it off.

With Beni though, he wanted a simple business transaction. He had complimented her Uncle at first, his way of softening him up before his request. All he wanted was a simple lease on one of Beni's properties, he promised he would be an honest tenant and with that, they both got something out of the deal.

Jessica couldn't see anything wrong with it, Sequoia was offering a substantial amount of money for an empty building and from what Jessica had heard; Beni hadn't even had anything planned for it.

That simple deal had taken just about an hour; the other men around the table took up the rest of the time and had needed their arms twisted for them to agree. Sequoia was a smart businessman and didn't like taking no for an answer, he had his subtle techniques at hand, that and his mild threats.

She had caught his eye a few times through the meeting; his eyes would meet hers as she scanned around the room. She intrigued him, she could tell that easily, that and his almost small amazement that she hadn't backed down.

He was a man of power and Jessica could imagine many people trailing after him and his eyes did hold all that, but why would she be afraid of a simple man like him?

The meeting drew to a close and all the men trailed out, leaving Sequoia, her and Beni standing in the room. Jessica had vacated her seat and had gone to stand next to her Godfather in almost a warning to Sequoia, whatever plans he had or would even think of having, wouldn't work, because Jessica would never let them.

Sequoia suddenly smiled at them and motioned them to walk; warily Jessica kept her eye on his men around them.

"Next week, I'm hosting a Ball," his voice was soothing and Jessica had to stomp on an irresistible urge to kick him, "as my new landlord I feel it would only right of me to invite you along." His eyes slid to Jessica, "and of course, your Goddaughter as well."

He nodded his goodbye and strode towards the door, just as he got to it he stopped and turned around, "your invitations will be delivered shortly, I do hope you attend."

His last words sounded like a threat and scarily enough, Jessica felt unsettled. Humans and Night worlder never ran a smooth path along with each other and this was all going to turn out wrong and all probably in Beni's direction.

Beni smiled at her as if happy that the day had gone well without any fuss. She forced a smile back and trailed out of the room after him.

This was going to turn out bad; she just wished she'd be as far away from it as possible when it did.

* * *

She sat there in discomforting silence and Gunner simply watched her as if he had already started to disconnect his feelings from her.

Mia's skin had turned ghostly pale and dark crescent shadows had appeared under her eyes. She now looked like a small china doll, too delicate to hold, even to comfort.

He loved her so much. He had known this crucial fact as he had spent those sleepless nights searching for her. But now she was here or in honest truth, half here and her mind somewhere else. He now realised the pain that his love was bringing to him.

He had heard the rumours around the Company, that Mia was going insane and that the Company were too far in their own crisis to do anything about it. He had tried to ignore these whispers but every time he saw her, the doubt would creep up on him.

What was he supposed to do, leave her alone and hope to forget about her as the rest had done? He had promised her so much and had given her so little. She was his princess that he had planned to ride into the sunset with.

It was a stupid idea, he knew. But with the things he did, he needed dreams like those ones.

Mia gently shook her head and dazed eyes focused on him, "Gunner," she whispered, her voice drained as like the rest of her, "how long have you been here?"

"Not long," he lied, he had been here for the last hour, had opened the front door calling her name, there had been no answer and as he had trailed into her bedroom he had noticed her curled up in the corner. Her eyes wide open, yet not seeing.

He had resisted the urge to scoop her up instantly into his arms. He had stilled himself and watched as if her movement mattered. It was like the theory that you should never wake up a sleep walker, she was so deep into a trance, her eyes wide open and her upper body rocking to and thro, he was afraid he would damage her somehow if he forcible awoke her from it.

And as soon as he got into the habit, even now she was responding to him, he has no idea what to do.

"Mia?" he suddenly felt small and insignificant, if he meant half as much as she did to him, did he really have to ask? "Mia, what's going on?"

"Gunner you wouldn't understand…"

"Try me, Mia I have not known you for the last twelve years for nothing. I can't sit back and watch you fall apart. Why can't you go back to who you used to be?"

Mia's choked laughter filled the room, "who I used to be? Gunner I don't even know if I can remember her anymore and not even sure if I want to."

"What do you mean, please Mia, I need to understand."

"I think I going to die Gunner and no matter how much I think about it, I can't see another way out of it."

He gulped back his protests and rushed down to her side, his eyes pleaded with her desperately, he would never be able to lose her, the loss would torment him; "I'm not going to let you."

She smiled at him softly and her hand came up to softly stroke back his hair, "that was a very naïve thing to say Gunner," she said in her old reprimanding manner, "I'm mortal remember, things like death happen and anyway, you don't need me anymore."

Crystal like tears trailed down his face, no matter whatever everyone thought they knew. Only Mia saw what Gunner was really like, he was a lost child trying to cling onto the few things he had left.

"Please Mia, I would never be able to stand losing you, I promise you, I will never let anything happen to you."

She pulled him towards her and kissed his forehead, "Shhhh," she soothed, "everything will be alright, with me around or not," she sighed to her self and wished that her words would comfort her as well.

Because no matter how much that ghost of hers comforted her with his soft words and promises of freedom from the spirit plane, she couldn't block off the other ghosts' words. They had promised, pleaded with her for her death and that her and their freedom would lay in that.

She was afraid, so afraid and no matter what Gunner did or that little ghost of hers said; she knew it would never turn out all right.

* * *

"You alright?"

Jessica focused back on Zeke again and smiled, "yeah," she nodded, "just family stuff, you know, all that hassle that comes along with them."

He smiled back, "yeah I know what you mean."

She stared back at him in silence for a moment and wondered if he really did.

His hand came up and took her own and pulled her closer.

He had called her that morning, promising a fun filled day, she had waited with anticipation as he had come to pick her up and him just being with her, him being around was all she thought she would ever need.

They had made their way to a park and the sun had gloriously shone ever since she had taken a step outside her Uncle's building. She didn't want to think about the business transaction last night or the Ball next week where she would have to be on her guard yet again.

But Zeke was here now; she didn't need to worry.

His clear blue eyes were calming and she smiled at him again, trying to forget everything except what they were doing today. Feeling his arms around her comforted her; his eyes that hadn't left her all day only tripled her excitement.

Things like this weren't meant to happen. She was Jessica Thomson, hired killer and emotionless fiend.

And after a while, even she was starting to believe it, when her life was just one big controversial whirlwind, how in hell could she make anything else out of herself?

"Come on," Zeke soothed, he kissed the tip of her nose and pulled away, his hand still in hers and pulled her across the park.

It took him twenty minutes for him to find the perfect spot and had pulled her down as he lounged across the soft grass.

She sat there and a slow realisation dawned upon her. She didn't know anything about Zeke, not even his full name. If he was meant to be her boyfriend, wasn't she supposed to know that stuff?

But wasn't the fun part finding out?

"How old are you?"

He paused and smiled, whatever she thought she had never forgotten what he was and what he was capable of.

"One hundred and eleven and still young I might add," but he was allowed to say that because he still looked only twenty-two at most. "You're not ashamed to be out with an older man are you?"

She laughed and jabbed him in the side, "I was just wondering, why do you work for Daybreak?"

"Questions, questions," he mused, "it's your turn next you know," he sighed and stretched out on the grass, Jessica elegantly sat beside him, looking down.

"First because I was running away," he seemed to laugh at his own words, "yeah, running away. I made a mistake with someone I knew I shouldn't have and that was the one place I knew he wouldn't look for me."

"So you didn't actually choose to join."

"No, I mean yes I did choose to join. After everything had cooled off I realised that I no longer fitted in with what I used to do and I felt most comfortable with Daybreak. I had made friends and saving people is a big adrenaline rush." He sighed, "Daybreak is my life, part of who I am, like the Company is to you. I've been with Daybreak for nearly forty years and there's no point in the future I see myself doing anything different."

He rested his hands under his head and looked up at her, "so what do you plan to do after you leave the Company?"

She wanted to laugh at him, people were normally allowed to leave the Company after a fifty-year service but Jessica being who she was, it would probably be halved.

But honesty was always the best approach, "truthfully," she shrugged as if it didn't matter, "I don't see myself surviving until the end of my service and if I ever did, I'd be useless, only used to killing people," she laughed, "not a good thing to put on a job application."

"I see you have a positive out look then."

But Jessica could see the hurt in his eyes, even when his words were so flippant.

"I don't think about the future," she admitted to him, now resting her upper body on his chest so she could look down on him better, "I think about now and you."

She finished moving down so her lips went and touched his, he pulled her down farther and she ended up as a giggling mess when they'd finished.

"I like you in the now."

And Jessica liked herself too.

She laid herself down next to him, determined to be just like the other couple in the park and get a decent tan. She closed her eyes and let the sun warm her skin.

She felt Zeke's kiss on her cheek and his whisper in her ear and couldn't help but smile.

She'd never had anyone ever admit, they were falling in love with her.

* * *

The breeze was cool here and the soft song of the birds could be heard from her open window.

Gunner had moved Mia to one of their little holiday homes where he thought she would be safe. He had left soon after, muttering something about another job and that'd he be back soon.

The place was deserted and if it wasn't for the unsettled spirits around her, she would have felt alone.

But now that would never be possible. The Company had honed her to kill and with it they had sealed her fate.

The ghost boy sat across the room from her again, his eyes holding the sorrow she felt she could no longer feel. She felt numb and the one person who was meant to make it all right stood not ten feet away, dead and not able to save her.

"The books," he echoed again.

She shook her head, "they're no good; there are no answers."

He stood there mute; the rays from the sun that slanted through the window slung a transparent glow through him.

She wanted him to save her but was so unsure if she could live through the disgrace if he did.

"What will we do?"

Mia looked at him and shrugged, "I don't know, I need time and maybe then I will."

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Beni's eyes followed Jessica around the room, ever since she had came back from that little picnic with her new boyfriend a couple of days ago she had been happily humming and smiling to herself.

He was happy for her, would be happier when he met the guy as well maybe. Jessica had invited him around tonight for a quiet family dinner.

There were two types of 'quiet' dinners in Beni's family. One where half the family were invited and was quiet to the respect that you had to walk down the street for a couple of blocks just so you could hear yourself think and the normal one, where him, his wife and son would be there.

He had invited Rick along as well; knowing that any father would like to interrogate his daughter's boyfriend, but he had silently shook his head. Even after Beni's spirited words of before, Rick had not been moved and had spent most of his time vigilantly ignoring his daughter.

Beni could only guess the amount of torment Rick was in; it was always a parent's nightmare for their children to make the same mistakes as them. But with Jessica, well the one mistake her Father had been put in prison for, she was doing as a full time career. Something like that would keep any parent up at night.

But Beni had simply accepted it, sometimes that was the only thing you could do. Beni loved the girl as much as his own son, but with some things as ridiculous as it sounded, you needed to make allowances.

"So where is this lad then?"

Jessica looked back at him as she waited at one of the window seats in the restaurant, "he's not due for another half an hour uncle, calm down."

He wanted to, sure he did but Jessica's happiness for some unknown reason meant a lot to him. She didn't think he saw, but he did, it was hard not to notice that look in her eyes.

The way she would look away when everyone else was happily chatting away beside her and that was when he would catch it. That partly tormented look and what was left was filled with sorrow.

He should never had let Linda take Jessica away, but that such a long time ago now and at the time it had seemed to be the right thing to do.

But people made mistakes and this was just going to have to be another one he would have to live with.

Jessica looked out of the window anxiously, Zeke would come, he had promised her that but she still couldn't keep the feeling down that this could all turn out like it did with Ryan. She was going to fall in love with the guy and then he was going to break her heart in the worst way.

It had been bad enough last time; she didn't think she could stand it again.

He turned up ten minutes early and seemed to charm his way into Beni's good books. He looked good, maybe that was what sold him to Beni's wife, Zeke was wearing a smart black shirt and pants, he seemed not to have made any real effort at all, yet looked stunning.

Beni was the first one to start the interrogation, "So Zeke, how long have you known our Jessica?"

He smiled, having been forewarned of their tactics, "first about two months ago, Jessica bumped in to me when I was staying with some friends in Vegas."

"Vegas, hey?" Beni was smart enough to know what was really happening under the glitz and glamour of Vegas, with its bright lights and casino's. "So what type of friends would these be then?"

"They're Day breakers." And Zeke had said it so easily and their eyes met in a momentary streak of panic.

"Day breakers?"

Jessica interrupted Zeke before he dug himself any deeper.

"They're a type of commune Uncle, you know the type. Free love, happiness… mere hippies."

"And your boyfriend associates with these type of people?"

"They're friends, aren't they Zeke," she said giving him a stern look, she turned back to Beni, "he likes mixing with people with such diverse beliefs."

Beni nodded slowly and continued munching his food, Jessica glanced at Zeke and his relieved expression, she would have to get them both out of here soon, for Zeke benefit more then her own.

"So Zeke what do you do for a living?"

Jessica and Zeke had rehearsed this all before they had accepted the dinner invitation and right now; Jessica was just hoping Zeke remembered it all.

"I work for a charity."

"Really now," Beni didn't sound that impressed, "and what do they do?"

"We strive for racial equality."

It wasn't that far from the truth, Daybreak did strive for racial equality, it was just between the nightworld and human world was all.

"And I guess you don't get paid for this?"

Jessica laughed, "Uncle!" she reprimanded, "Zeke was left a small fortune from a relative and is happy enough helping others."

Beni returned to his meal and shrugged, "well what can I say, it's a very noble job."

"Thank you sir."

Beni looked up and smiled, "call me Beni."

And that was the moment Jessica knew Zeke had just been accepted into the family.

They had fled with as much dignity as they could after the desserts were handed around. A beautiful smile was planted on Zeke's face as she pulled him away with as much strength as she could muster.

She had forgotten how emotional draining her family could be and for one fleeting second during the meal she had thought her Dad had come out to reconcile things, but her hope had dropped as he glided towards Beni and said something into his ear, he had left the room without looking in her direction once.

"You okay?"

She slowed down and looked over to him, "yeah fine," she pulled him closer and kissed him, "and thank you for coming."

"No problem, I couldn't have let you down now, could I?"

She laughed and shook her head and kissed him again, "no, no you couldn't."

"So," he ventured, "when are you going to accept my little invitation?"

Jessica froze, when she had mentioned Beni's request to meet him, he had too invited her around the daybreak place he was staying. But she had thought he had been joking, she was an assassin. It would be like inviting a lioness into a playpen.

"I didn't realise you were serious about it."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Let me see, I kill people for a living and am a culmination of all the immoral things that they stand against."

"You're my girlfriend."

She looked at him for a moment and shook her head, "you haven't told them what I do, have you?"

He shook his head, "no."

She felt something twist inside of her, could she take this as an act of betrayal, because that was what it felt like, but would she really tell her friends she was dating a Day breaker?

"Okay, you survived my hell so I might as well do yours, when do you want to go?"

"Now!"

She sighed and looked down on her self, "now? Have you seen what I'm dressed like?"

His eyes drifted down her body and she contained a blush, she was wearing the clothes that Maria supplied her with on their shopping trip. As this was just casual she was wearing some jeans and an indigo top.

"You look good enough for anything."

She slapped his arm, "Oih," she still blushed though. "Are you sure you want to go now?"

"Yeah I do, they know I'm going out with someone and have been berating me about it for a while now, so it'll be good to put an end to their nagging."

She let him take her hand and stood silently as he hailed a cab, he gave an address Jessica faintly recognised and sat in blissful silence with him in the back.

"So how many hearts have you broken now, telling them that you're unavailable?"

He brought her hand up that he still grasped in his and kissed the back it, "you think too much of me," he let go of her hand and rested his on her leg.

The familiarity between them felt weird, she had only been dating him for five days and yet felt something for him that made her stomach do back flips. She had it bad; she knew that and didn't care in the slightest.

The cab came to a halt outside a dingy block of flats; grabbing some money out of his pocket Zeke paid the driver and pulled Jessica out. He waited until the cab took its leave and motioned her to the building.

"Welcome to my abode."

"Nice," she said dryly as she looked at it sceptically.

"You should know by now to never judge a book by its cover."

He pulled her in, literally, she wasn't that happy about this. But for his sake she was going to give it a go.

The place looked like on of those horrible half way houses; a guy was in a glass security box on the way in, a chicken wire sort of fence barring the entrance.

"ID please," the guy behind the screen grunted; he had the stereotypical small TV in there with him and the horrible grimy plastic screen between him and them.

Zeke produced a plain plastic white card with a bar code on it; he slid it under the slot and waited.

The guy took it, skimmed it in something beside the TV, suddenly his TV programme was replaced with Zeke's details, a serious looking photo of him included.

The guy smiled at him, "you know the protocol," he sighed and handed him back the card, "and the girl?"

"A guest, my guest," the man still looked at him blandly, "my girlfriend;" Zeke finally admitted.

The guy smiled and beeped something under the desk, making Jessica jerk back, the front door locked in a regimental clunking noise and the chicken wire gate mechanically moved aside.

Catching her unease Zeke took her hand, "it's just our security Jessica, don't worry."

She tried not to but suddenly she felt like a wild animal trapped, ever since being locked up in those cells with Ryan. She hadn't taken a fancy to enclosed spaces, especially anywhere with locks.

He motioned her on and the only place to go was into a lift, he pressed a button and something beeped and the doors opened. He stepped in and dragged her along as well.

"That just scanned my finger print," once they were in he pressed the button for the basement and waited, he lifted his head up and nodded to a dome sort of camera set in the ceiling of the lift, "wave, promise this is the last stage and then we can go meet the others."

"So what do they use upstairs as?"

"Oh, that's just the sleeping quarters, everyone hangs out here." And as he said that the lift started moving and seconds later the doors opened and they were presented with a white washed hall way."

"Come on," he said pulling her along, "I can't wait until they meet you."

Not surprisingly, Jessica could.

There were doors that lined the hall way and Zeke opened one right at the end, when they walked in; it was like one of those bazaar scene changes you have in dreams. Suddenly they were in a polished, almost hospital hall way and then as the door opened and closed behind them they were in a common room.

And from the looks of it about fifty people were hanging about in it.

She stood beside Zeke, his hand in hers. Her other hand started to fidget though, unused to being unarmed with so many people around.

Why hadn't she tied a knife to her leg or something? Finally someone noticed them and silence suddenly seemed to descend upon the room.

"So who's this then?"

A girl with long blonde hair stood up, she was petit and pretty and most probably nightworld. Jessica was in a room with a whole lot of dangerous night worlders and weaponless.

Zeke smiled, oblivious to Jessica unease, "this is Jessica."

The girl smiled back, mischievousness pasted on her face, "so this is the girl who stole our man away, chucks," she offered her hand out politely to Jessica and she shook it, "my name is Nidra"

"Hi."

Some of the women in the group were giving her suspicious glances and the men admirable ones. There were humans in the room as well, mixing fearlessly amongst the rest.

They got themselves a spare little sofa and sat themselves down, they soon enough gathered themselves a little audience.

"So how long have you two known each other?" it was Nidra who was heading the firing squad.

"Not long," Jessica admitted, "we met fleetingly a couple of months ago and then again a few days ago."

"Ahh, how romantic," someone swooned at the back.

Jessica just rolled her eyes and Zeke laughed, "Oih, cynic," he jibed.

They all chatted amorously about Zeke and how much he had helped everyone over the years. He was blushing dangerously and Jessica felt like she was sitting next to a saint, there wasn't anyone in the room, who didn't owe their life to Zeke.

Jessica took lives; she didn't save them.

A guy made his way from the back and stood there in front of her menacingly; Jessica suddenly wanted her weapons.

"Not wanting to ruin this little liaison, but being what I am. I just want one question answered. Jessica is human right?"

Zeke nodded, "yeah."

"Right," the guy laughed, "Because I'm not the only one who's noticed this," he paused as if he had difficulty with his words, he finally spat it out, "why hasn't she got a life force?"

Jessica turned to Zeke, knowing now that Zeke's little ruse would never had worked, "Yes Zeke, explain." She sat patiently waiting.

He sighed, "There was some stuff I left out."

The guy smiled and the others settled back as they realised it was just getting exciting.

Jessica shook her, "Yeah, only a little."

"And those bits were?" Nidra pushed.

"She is human, her life force was witched a way."

Nidra nodded, "Zeke that is a very illegal spell, no Witch would even try, I know I wouldn't. So why and how?"

Jessica sat back, waiting for the tornado to be released; she knew she had gotten too much of a nice welcome for it to last.

"Jessica," Zeke seemed to stumble in his explanation within the first couple of words, "she was kidnapped when she was a child and then trained."

Nidra sighed, "Elaborate please."

"I'm an assassin," Jessica supplied, knowing Zeke would take all day, "Everyone I was trained with, had their life forces witched away. We're assigned to both humans and night worlders, so the Company found that it was necessary at the time."

"And now?"

Jessica looked at Nidra, "and now what?"

Nidra smiled and sighed, "I had always thought that Zeke would have some moral code as he's been here so long. For some reason I can't see him going out with a killer."

"Well he is," Jessica stood up and turned around to Zeke, "I knew you should have told them, how naive were you to even try?" she shook her head and went to head out the way they came in.

"Jessica wait!"

She stopped outside the door, his hand came and rested on her shoulder and she turned around.

"I don't care what they think, I love you and I want you to know that. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about you since we met in Vegas and I'm not letting you go again."

"You know as much as me, everyone will be hoping that we'll fail."

"I don't care, you hear me," he pulled her closer and she rested her head on his shoulder, "I love you and I don't care what they think."

* * *

Finally relenting Kyle pulled the crumbled piece of paper of his pocket and handed it over to Elizabeth.

"This is what you want."

Elizabeth unravelled it in her hand and took a deep breath, "this is it?"

He nodded, "yeah, I was going hide it until the time was right, but then I realised, there was never going to be a time when it was right."

She seemed to stroke the paper in her hand, "I have waited centuries for this and never thought I would feel this much elation over something so miniscule. It's just a piece of paper, yet it holds everything."

"Will you make him bring down the Company?"

She nodded determined, "I'll do what I must. I'm sure Tristan hasn't even realised what he has created, but as all things, this must end. When our chapter is closed, so will the Company's."

Kyle tried to smile, tried to feel relieved, but what ever he did he couldn't. From major ambition to betrayal, he had turned against the only life he had known and now, knowing that the end could be so near. He was lost in a sea of uncertainty.

What ever he had done, it had always concerned the Company. From him leading the way with the recruits to him planning it's down fall.

He felt almost lost and watched silently as Elizabeth left. He would learn to survive, exactly as the assassins would.

* * *

Jessica smiled and shook her head, "Uncle Beni, do you really expect me to wear that?"

"Yes I do, that was picked out by my dear wife and if I don't say so myself is rather beautiful."

She had come in late last night and gone straight to her room, as soon as she had woken up Beni had snatched her and taken her to show her what she was going to wear to the Ball at Sequoia's tomorrow night.

It was a black dress that was strapless and flowed to the ground, the shoes were even neatly supplied next to it, Jessica shook her head, she hated wearing high heels, and it was going to be worse night for her feet in a long time.

Sheila, Beni's wife came in half way through her protests, it wasn't that she didn't like the dress it was just that she didn't wear clothes like that. They were too pretty, too feminine, Jessica had never been dainty and never in her life did she want to be.

Things like that showed too much weakness and she had spent too much time over the years hiding all of hers.

"Ahh, Jessica."

Jessica turned around at Sheila's voice and smiled; she was a lovely woman and had somehow kept her patience over the years with all of Beni's dealings.

"Hello Auntie."

"So you've seen the dress, you're going to have to try it on darling, I wasn't sure about your size, I talked to Maria and all but well, tomorrow night is going to be an important night, especially for Beni and future business transactions."

Jessica nodded and resigned to the fact, "okay Auntie," and she pulled the dress of its hanger and slunk out of the room.

* * *

Gunner burst through the front door and scoured the house; he knew he shouldn't have left her. She had been silently sleeping as he had slunk out of the house. He just wanted to figure out how he could ask the Company for compassionate leave, but now with Mia disappearance, he didn't really need to make up an excuse now.

A piece of paper caught his eye that was resting on the tabletop in the kitchen; his name had been pasted along the top with Mia's scrawl.

He read the words again, just so he could digest it more.

'Gunner

Gone out to save people, see you when it's all over

Love you lots,

Mia'

He shoved the table across the kitchen and smashed glass sprinkled along the floor.

Gone to save people, what did she mean by that?

And that was when it dawned to him.

Circle Daybreak.

Now he would have to get her and bring her back before the Company realised where she had gone and he paused, was there anyone he trust?

Jessica's face flashed in his mind's eye, but she had chosen the Company over Ryan and over the last year she had distanced herself, there was no chance for him to know where her loyalties laid.

So Hira was the only one he could trust, the others would doubt and bicker among themselves, Hira was always the one with the straight answers and actions. He took out cell phone, dialled Hira's number and waited as it rung, Hira's hypnotic voice sounded at the other end.

"Hira, it's me Gunner. I have a big problem…."

* * *

The phone rang incessantly at the other end; she waited another five rings and put it down.

Jessica paced around her room, she was nervous, it was stupid, the last time she felt like this was just before they let her out of the Company compound. But now she had to go to that stupid Ball and Zeke wasn't at the other end of the phone to tell her that it would be all right.

Beni entered the room in his best tuxedo and looked at her without patience this time, "love, we're running out of time, you can ring that boyfriend of yours when we get back."

She stroked down her dress and nodded, "okay Uncle, let's get this hell over and done with."

She didn't want to have to do this, a big business function with only a dagger tied to the inside of her leg for protection. She followed her Uncle out of the house and into the limousine that sleekly waited in the driveway.

They drove in silence, Beni's excitement at the situation over spilling as he twiddled with the electric window beside him.

Ten minutes later they had arrived and Beni's smartly dressed chauffeur open the side door, being ever the gentlemen Beni exited first and extended his hand to Jessica to help her out.

All Jessica could do was marvel in silence as they followed the gentle stream of people into the house, each person as elegant as the other and not to mention hardly any of them over thirty. She wanted to take Beni back now, shove him back in the Limo and take him home, protect him from these people somehow.

But if she did that she would have to explain why and explaining her self, was never one of Jessica's best qualities. It was hard enough Beni accepting Jessica as a killer; she didn't want to push the reality of the Nightworld onto him as well.

The mansion was elegant and the hall they entered into was even more so, soft whites and silvers seemed to be hanging everywhere and candles littered the side of the hall in a magnificent flickering beauty.

Her hands started to sweat in the soft long gloves that Beni's wife had given her just before they left, something to finish the outfit she had added.

"How long are we going to be here?"

Beni looked at her with sympathy, "long enough to mingle my dear and long enough to show Sequoia that I'm making an effort."

"You're here, isn't that enough?"

"Nothing is ever enough my dear, you'll soon learn that," he straightened himself a fraction, "and here comes our host," he said to her quickly under his breath.

Jessica looked to her right, Beni seemed to have noticed more then her tonight, the crowd seemed to have thinned and Sequoia was heading in their direction with an aristocratic smile on his face, nodding at people as he passed.

"Beni, how nice to see you made it and yes, Jessica, looking beautiful if I might mention."

Jessica bit down on her tongue before she said she'd of preferred it if he hadn't, his charm, wasn't working on her and Jessica realised that he was slowly realising it too. He smiled at her as if amused.

"This is a beautiful building," Beni supplied, easing the tension, "have you lived here long?"

Sequoia looked at Jessica, "decades," he laughed, "well maybe not, lets just say it feels like that, it's a pity my age belies the fact."

"Well what can I say," Jessica didn't want to be here and wasn't going to be polite about it, "you could have paid a plastic surgeon a hefty load and have been here that long," she looked him dead in the eye, the playfulness gone, "but we'd know it'd be a lie, wouldn't we?"

"Yes, yes we would."

Sequoia turned to Beni, "well I hope you enjoy your evening and I might have to steal your charming Goddaughter off of you later, to give her a tour of the idyllic gardens."

"It would be my pleasure," Beni nodded at him as Sequoia turned and left.

"I'm not property that you can lend out you know."

Beni looked at her and smiled, "Jessica I know that, it'll do you good to spend time with an attractive man."

"I have a boyfriend."

"I have realised that my dear, I'm married you might notice but I still sample other woman."

Open-mouthed Jessica looked at him in shock, "you've sampled other woman on Sheila?"

He rolled his eyes, "I have never cheated on my wife, you hear me? I mean sample with the eyes, okay?"

She nodded at him, "I don't like him though."

"Well this will give you a better chance."

"What to hate him more?"

"To get to know him," he shook his head; "the youth of today, now will you give me the pleasure of your first dance?"

She smiled at him and followed his lead.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The night had taken a joyful lull until Sequoia yet again brought himself to their attention and beseeched that Jessica would join him in the gardens.

Jessica had no pretences about this. Sequoia must have already guessed that she knew about the nightworld, her little actions to his mind scan the other day would have told him if he hadn't before and for some reason he unnerved her.

She had seen it when she had looked into those clear eyes of his; that indefinable amount of knowledge and experience that laid there, there was no doubt that he hadn't lived for a long time, it was in the way he moved and the way his eyes surveyed everything around him with that tiny amount of humour, as if he had seen it all before.

They walked out into the chilled night air; spotlights were circulated around the garden, leading through a little path that led further and further away from the hall.

"I know what you are."

Jessica looked at him, it was obvious that he was Night world; his beauty belied any fact of humanity.

"Really," she wasn't in the mood to play games, "at least one of us does."

He laughed and shook his head, "Jessica Thompson, one of the top assassins of A.S.G, recently been out of commission. But still as dangerous as you can be."

"And your point of telling me this?"

"Just so we know where we stand."

"And where's that?"

He stopped, the hall just a humming background noise now. She stilled, trying to figure out his motive, no matter how see through most night worlders were, Sequoia's motives were hidden to say the least.

She stood a few paces away from him, unaware how she looked in her black flowing dress and dark long hair, she was suited to the night and in moments like these, only very naive people would see her as a beautiful face, other would see her as a deadly opponent.

"Just a warning, anything happens to anyone I know and by your elegant hand, I will have no restraint in taking that out on your dear family."

Her face hardened and she walked closer to Sequoia so they were eye to eye, "If you touch my family, even if not in the intention to harm, I will skin you alive."

He laughed at her brusqueness.

Her features didn't change, still the cold blooded killer, "you think I'm bluffing," she shook her head lightly, "I've done it before my friend and as long as you have the right knife and an accomplice willing to hold the person down, it's like a hot knife through butter."

None of them moved and they were at a stalemate; none of them were going to back down, thankfully a voice calling from the hall that got closer and closer, made them both take a step away from each other.

A figure emerged out of the shadow, "Jessica, I saw Beni and he said you were out here." Zeke emerged in a neat suit and tie. He glanced at Sequoia and stood by Jessica's side, "so I see you two have already met."

Jessica looked at him, in shock that he was here and his acquaintance with Sequoia, his arm came round her waist and she was comforted at least by his warmth.

"Yes we have," Sequoia confirmed, "and you know each other how?"

Zeke smiled, "this is my girlfriend Jessica and Jessica," he turned to her and smiled, "this is my brother Sequoia, or to anyone else in the family – Avan."

Jessica froze and looked over to him, that was Avan? And worst of all, her boyfriend's brother.

Avan and her gaze locked, both in acute dislike, "it was nice to meet you," she said dryly, "and for some reason, I'd never like to again," she turned to Zeke and kissed him on the cheek, "I'm going inside, I'll see you later."

And with that she left, a fear brewing in her stomach she had yet to discover.

Zeke turned to Avan with a bemused smile, "making friends already I see."

Avan just shook his head, "you could say that, nice to see you turned up little brother."

Avan and Zeke had taken an active stance in not speaking to each other for the last few decades but out of a plea from their paternal grandmother they had given in and had tried to look like brothers getting on, in public anyway.

"Well, last minute thing turned up; thought I wouldn't make it. But hey, I made the effort."

"You do know your girlfriend is an assassin, don't you?" no matter the years they had avoided each other, Avan had always held the power in their kinship and at moments like these, Zeke had to keep all of his old emotion close to his chest, fearing that their old bitter feud would break out again.

Zeke dryly laughed, the effort to make it sound flippant was excruciating, "I wondered when you'd notice that, yeah I do actually," he paused trying to choose just the right words, "and I just don't care."

Avan surveyed him for a few seconds and shook his head, "you and all your Day breaker morals, what can I say? I thought she wouldn't be your type."

"When have you ever known what my type has been?"

Avan quickly diverted the conversation before they reverted to their age-old squabble, "let's head back in, I'm doing some announcements soon and it would be good for Gran ma ma to hear that we're in public with each other again."

Zeke amicable agreed and followed him inside.

* * *

Mia looked around at the company of the Day breakers around her, they had welcomed her in nicely enough and had given her compassion when needed, but they still held that uncertain suspicion.

She was always going to be that assassin the Company had trained to be and no matter how haunted or scarred she was, the shadow of what she was, was always looming behind her.

She sat in a large common room with a lot of other night worlders and humans, everyone was at ease here, but Mia was still sat in the corner on her own, the ghosts of hers still haunting.

She had discussed what was happening to her with the circle witches and they had all looked at her puzzled and had promised her that they would try and help her in exchange for her help. She had refused to give them any information about the Company; she still had friends there. Gunner was there and no matter what he now would think of her. She would always do her best to protect him.

Someone sat beside her, his face kind with compassionate blue eyes, he was dressed in a smart suit with the collar open and tie loosened, he smiled at her.

"So you're our new addition, my name is Zeke. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

She smiled at him, she was tired and no matter how she tried nowadays it was getting harder and harder to get any sleep.

"Thanks, but you don't have to speak to me you know. Your friends have all made it clear how they feel about me."

His eyes hardened as he looked over to them, "yes, I've seen that," he shook his head as if genuinely nonplussed by it. "Soon enough they'll realise what arses they're being."

Mia just shook her head, "no they're not, they're just being realistic, why would they want to associate themselves with a killer. I'm a dangerous breed; they all know that and anyone with half a brain would be wary."

Something flashed in his eyes, "we're Day breakers though," he reminded her, "we accept and integrate people into our team."

"But I'm still a killer, even if an ex-assassin. I kill and move on and my team were only other killers and would still be so if I weren't in these circumstances."

He stood up and looked at her if hurt, "you're wrong," he said to her simply and moved away.

* * *

Jessica stared at the dress neatly hung up on the hanger behind her bedroom door, things had happened to night that would change everything, she knew that and yet she still reeled in the knowledge that she had gained.

Sequoia was Avan – Zeke's brother and Beni's business partner. If she went through with what she promised Mia the implications that would arise from it would be formidable.

Would Zeke speak to her again, but how would he know it was her? But Beni, well he had a finger in every pie around here and would soon make up the lost income. She pulled on her black pants and a slipped on a tight black shirt over her head.

Her fingers lingered over her katana; if she went through with this there would be a lot of other people affected. That was the trouble with being brought up to follow orders when the time finally came along for individual thought where she, herself would have to decide upon someone's fate, their life wasn't the only one going to be affected by it.

Avan ran a successful business, what about them? But there would always be a second in command who would be able to take over and from the way Zeke had acted after the Ball she could tell that his relationship with his brother wasn't the strongest and what about Beni?

He would survive, worst things had happened.

She grabbed her katana and attached the sheath to a piece of rope so she could attach it to her back, someone like him deserved to die, someone that preyed on people like Mia. Jessica was merely doing a job, from the sounds of it; it was all a hobby to Avan.

Jessica grabbed the rest of her equipment, her lock picks and other trinkets she had gained over the years.

Avan deserved to die and it would be by her hand that the sentence would be dealt.

* * *

Hira stilled and took a deep breath - Mia was gone.

He wasn't in the least surprised.

He had been listening to the rumours for the past month, he had heard what was being said and in all honestly Hira had understood why she had done it.

The Company wouldn't have helped her, Mia was more of a hindrance right now than anything else and they would have to spend money on her to make it all right. Hira knew people in the offices and the Company were spending their money elsewhere and where to, was anyone's guess.

Gunner waited in the other room, impatience etched in every pore. Circle Daybreak had spread it's influence wide and no matter how many contacts Hira had accumulated over the years, it would still take a couple of weeks to pinpoint exactly where Mia was without the Day breakers catching on and moving her to a different place before they could get to her.

If the Company found out about Mia's desertion before they got her back, it would be an old training grounds execution and Hira wasn't the only one who was going to mutiny over that. Too many people had been lost over the last few months without more going, especially by their own hand.

But no matter how many times he went over it in his head, he still couldn't place the feeling of panic inside of him, what if the Company did find out? Would the recruits risk mutiny for just one person?

The truth was he didn't want to find out, if it was going to happen, let it. But if not, well Hira's life would get on exceedingly well without it.

* * *

Jessica slipped over the wall and climbed into his bedroom window, she knew this was his as she has gossiped with an obvious harlot a few hours beforehand, who had assured her that she had been there herself. It was stupid of Avan to leave his bedroom window open anyway, yet when she entered she suddenly realised that he was aware of his vulnerability.

She could see the shadow of his figure sit straight up in the bed and their eyes met at the exactly the same time and both of them clashed, warring to come out the strongest. Jessica, who unlike many, wasn't disturbed by his predatory ways and walked further into the dim room, he was sat up in his bed, the cover pushed to the side.

He was ethereally beautiful, she had enough sense to admit that, but she knew that all night worlders held that curse and he was like the rest. All with their weaknesses, she had killed many with the same worth of his beauty and all had shrivelled to decadent husks in the end.

Beauty never lasted eternally.

He got up, only boxers adorning his body. The moonlight gleamed against his skin and it didn't take a lot for her to imagine why humans could be instinctively afraid of such a creature.

"Jessica Thomson," he declared, his voice soft and deadly at the same time, she wanted to congratulate him on his talent, "may I ask why you're here?"

"To kill you," she said smoothly, "for some strange, unknown reason I get vengeful when people torture my friends."

His eyebrows rose, "If you would please refresh my memory."

She sighed, she could somehow sympathise with him here, when you had done so many horrid things to people over the years, the memories of them all merged into one blur.

"A Witch, this height," she stretched out her hand just above her own shoulder, "ash blonde hair, blue eyes, I don't think you could forget her."

Something flashed in his eyes, something like recognition, but as soon as she noticed it. It fell instantly and his eyes returned to their shadowed self.

"Yes," he nodded, a smile gracing his face, making him heart achingly beautiful, Jessica used all her power to ignore it, "It's all returns to me now, a girl named Mia, yes?"

Jessica nodded, "well done, not as dense as you look, are you?"

They still maintained a distance, both knowing that it would be a hard fight. Jessica as always knowing that she was human and weak compared to him, the difference between it was that she would use her skill in this one, not brawn.

"So you're going to just stare or are you actually going to kill me? Because I would like to catch up on my sleep," he said dismissively.

She knew what he was playing at, he was trying to make it sound like she mattered little compared to him and that it would take a fraction of a minute. She unsheathed her katana and saw the glint in his eye.

"We can start now if you want," she smiled at him, the smile she used to make the targets more submissive. The look that made them realise their time was near.

He nodded, "Come on then."

But she didn't do as he said; she stayed where she was, waiting for him to make the next move. She had to be in control here for as long as she could be, for she knew the truth even if many wouldn't admit it.

She was doing this out of blind anger and vengeance and some one like Avan wouldn't be an easy fight, it was fifty/fifty here and now she realised she should have written some goodbye letters at least out of precaution.

He took the first steps forwards, cold defiance in his eyes. She flexed her wrist and her katana bounced lightly in her hand, as long as she watched out for his moves and stayed one step ahead she could get out of this alive.

She hadn't reckoned on his speed.

Avan must have been a century or few old and with each year, they all picked up new tricks. She dodged him as he lunged for her and swiped out with her katana, it sang as it sliced through the air and nicked Avan on the shoulder.

His eyes came up to meet hers and a lazy smile curved on his face, "fast today, aren't we?"

But he didn't leave any time for her to answer and he came in for another attack, she came at him with a balanced blow with her katana but he came in too fast and she didn't have enough space to give it enough force, she brought it down to his knees as the next target.

His hands grasped around hers though and they fought control of the only visible weapon in the room, he chuckled quietly to himself as all just a game, Jessica ground her teeth together in the force to keep control of her only chance of winning.

He twisted her hands around and Jessica was sure she could hear a click as pain arced up her arm, yet she hungrily gripped on. In another bid, he swung them both around and the katana flew out of both their grasps, they both stilled and watched it fly and hit the wall. It stayed cemented, stuck out the wall at a ninety-degree angle, now just another part of the room.

Avan took a step back, "now what do you call an assassin without her katana?"

She glared at him as if in answer.

He smiled, "dead," he supplied.

She removed the katana out of her thoughts, she didn't need it, she would kill him tonight – sword or no sword.

He came in for another attack and grabbed hold of her shirt, "ready to die?" he muttered.

"Not yet," she spat as she kneed him expertly in the groin.

He staggered back and shook himself down, he gave her a controlled look and a cold smile came to view. He came towards her again and blocked an attack to his face, with another assault from Jessica his hand clasped over her own and she bit down on the pain as she could feel her bones grind together.

"You see the trouble with today's youth is that they have no respect," he threw her across the room and her head slammed sharply against the wall.

She stumbled to her feet, realising she was fighting a losing battle, she had underestimated him and no matter how many times she had imagined her own death, she had never imagined it being taken by someone like him.

Her last thought gave her more courage and she grabbed the nearest object, to Avan's dismay it was a very expensive antique vase. He swooped in and it smashed into his head, he stood staring at her, unmoved by her actions.

"Bad move," he motioned and his hand came to her head and he shoved her down to the floor.

"Ready to give up," he had crouched down beside her, eying her like some curious predator, he touched the side of her head gently – a move she flinched away from, "that head wound doesn't look so good."

"I'd die first."

He nodded, confirming his own thoughts, "Yes, I suppose you will."

He pulled her up by her shirt, supposedly immune to all her thrashing about, "pity something so pretty as you will soon be decaying in the earth."

Her legs kicked out at him in response. His eyes brightened and lips parted a fraction as his canines lengthened and sharpened.

"Now say goodbye," he muttered as he went for her throat.

Elizabeth stilled outside the house, the place she thought she would never make it to. It had taken her so long just to get to this point – she had never envisioned anything beyond it.

She took a few more steps forwards and she could hear an alarm go off in the house that was now just a few feet off. A shadow of a figure played on the inside of the house, she wondered how long it would take him to figure out who she was; she didn't even knew if he had been awakened.

But that was the problem with old souls – one lifetime they would recognise you on the spot and another they would flee from you never wanting to know.

She kept on going anyway, she hadn't suffered all the things she had and got this far just to turn away. But still that didn't help her at all with courage. What was she going to say to him?

The figure moved again and a middle-aged man came to the door nearing his early sixties. He had that look on his face, the one where the past finally catches up with you.

He nodded at her in welcome, "I never thought I would see you again."

She smiled at him and she could see something twist in his face, "me neither, it took longer than I ever expected to find you."

He sighed a sigh of an old man and shook his head, "I think it's about time got this thing sorted out."

She nodded, "yes it is," and with that she followed him into the house.

Two things were going through Jessica's mind as Avan bit her, one was of her Father and the other of Mia. She had let both down, she waited for the pain he would put her through – the thing was…

It never came.

A sharp tingling sensation seemed to jump through every nerve but for the merest second it was like time had stopped and the afterlife was welcoming her in.

She had figured later on that she really should have known better.

She shut her eyes against the blazing light that seemed to surround her and fumbled further into the nothingness that swamped before her. Eventually her eyes flickered open and she swung round uncertainly – if this was the waiting room for the after life, how come Avan stood not ten feet away looking furious?

Puzzlement played on her face, "what the hell are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same question, why am I here?"

She shrugged, "how should I know, you're the one who killed me."

His eyebrows rose, "not exactly my dear, unfortunately enough you're still alive."

"How?"

"This…" he looked around unimpressed, "Is a mind connection and a fully immersed one I might add. Some inexperienced telepaths get themselves into this situation where they're lacking in something and find themselves lost in their victim's minds." He laughed humourlessly, "but I'm not inexperienced and I had every mental shield up when I bit you," he shook his head, "this shouldn't be happening."

"You don't have to tell me that twice," she looked at him expectantly, "so go away then."

"Don't you think I'm trying? I can't!"

She looked at him aghast, "Leave!" she shrieked, right now she just wished there was something that was about that she could throw at him – on cue, a antique vase, one mirroring the one she had thrown at him earlier, appeared beside her.

She quickly grabbed it and threw, unfortunately Avan dodged.

He laughed at her, "at least I can tell whose mind we're in."

At the moment he said it, it was like the sun just descended from Jessica's mind and the space they were in darkened and only dim shadows of them selves could be seen.

Avan had figured Jessica was smart but now just confirmed it because from the moment she realised she was the one in the worst position it was like automatic shut down and the places that he could have gone and prodded through could no longer be seen.

"Get out," she said to him, calm this time. All her emotion kept under a leash exactly as her mind was.

"If I could I would, believe me."

"I don't believe a word you say."

He didn't reply to that – he was thinking, he would have to distract her and then just maybe he could figure a way out of this. If he got her angry enough, just maybe she would unconsciously push him out and break whatever had been forced between them.

He then changed his tactics.

"No I believe you don't, but who can blame you – especially after my disgraceful behaviour to your friend Mia, that was her name, right?"

He could feel the tension rise but as it would have reached it climax and he would have started to gain the advantage, something seemed to click and it was all gone and the shadow of Jessica stayed still, silent as if brooding.

"You're a cruel conceited man," Jessica muttered, her shadow seemed to wander around him as almost pondering upon him, "probably lonely, most probably a sadist, the sort of person who maims small animals like puppies and such like."

She stilled, "yet still an enigma; I don't know how you can sleep at night with a life like yours, a life without purpose."

He shook his head, yet another person misinterpreting him, "You seem to despair with my life, but have you taken a look at yours recently?"

"Regularly," she quipped.

"Not that I don't like this self examination, but I have other stuff to do – like finding a way out."

A glow stopped them from continuing on with their bickering, where Jessica had stopped a couple of feet beside him they both turned around to look at the thing that seemed to have taken centre stage.

They both stared in silence, Mia had said something about this Jessica was sure, but she just couldn't bring it to mind.

"This is bad." Avan said evenly.

She looked at him in confusing yet knowing that what he said could only be true, "make it stop," she whispered.

"I wish I could."

They both stood staring at it and it wasn't until pictures started playing behind Avan did she realise what it was.

She didn't want to be his soul mate, how could she when she didn't believe in it?

Yet the pictures still played from centuries past – a young man in smart dress standing coldly over his first kill, the look on his younger brother's face as Avan had to tell him she was dead and that it was all his own fault.

She stood in mute disbelief – how could she see these things, how come Avan was allowing her?

It was only when she looked back at him and followed his line of sight was when she realised he had been distracted with her own past.

A child with a mop of black hair screaming in anger at her mother, blood streaming from the child's wrist and a bloodied knife in her other hand

Her of eight watching another execution on the training grounds, a child beside her screaming out in anguish and then being dragged away.

The smiling face of Mia as they promised with their spell to be friends forever, it then merging into her ashen face as she explained to Jessica how the past ghosts were haunting her.

Ryan and her, then the betrayal – all this played out in front of them, she tried to keep her eye on the one of Avan with different people and different places, him always with a cold knowledge that he held the power. But her own past kept her distracted.

How could he be allowed to see it when she didn't even like to see it herself anymore?

She shook her head as the picture of an age old victim took up the picture that played on the wall, a woman in her late forties – an activist or something if she remembered right.

It has been a lone kill, just after Ryan's desertion and a cold hatred had filled Jessica for a while. Jessica had approached her with a knife; its blade was long and covered in blood, the same knife that had just killed the woman's lover.

'Please' the woman had said, but Jessica had just shaken her head. Her cold glacier eyes telling the woman everything she needed to know and from somewhere the woman had gathered some resolve and a painful smile trembled to life and a tear slid down her face.

'I can beg all I want and you do not hear, for you'll never be the person who can make that final decision and grant me my life.'

Jessica had merely advanced, the pain of Ryan still burning inside her.

'God forgive you!'

Had been the woman's last words and Jessica had stood over the fallen woman and shook her head and walked away.

It was always amazing how some few last words could strangle out the essence from her; make her doubt what she had become. How could God forgive her when she had purposely stopped believing in him so she wouldn't have to face that final reprimand.

She turned away from the pictures and walked into the darkness that surrounded them, she didn't want to see anymore and she didn't care where she ended up.

The real world crashed into her like a ton of bricks and she was left dizzy and confused. She had somehow fallen to the floor and a dazed Avan was beside her, before she could fully get herself together she lurched away from Avan and backed away to the furthest recesses of his room.

She was back, her hand came to her neck, it was still bleeding but she kept her eye on Avan who was now making his way to his feet. Her eyes darted around the room and they went to her katana stuck smartly in the wall.

With her back to the wall she inched her way to where she had made her entrance and towards her weapon. She would go home without achieving her goal, but she was going back with her life so she figured it all balanced itself out.

"Leaving so soon?"

Jessica just nodded and her hand finally reached the hilt of her katana and with one forceful move it was out of the wall and back in the sheath behind her back.

"I think we have nothing left to say," she muttered as she made her way out of the window.

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Jessica stumbled for the keys in her pockets and made her way into the house as quickly as she could. The family room was the first one in the house she could stumble into.

She dropped the keys onto one of the coffee tables and let her aching muscles rest as she sat down on the edge of the couch. Her fingers came to her neck, she had stopped bleeding a few minutes ago but the blood was still wet and the crimson stood stark against her pale skin as it covered the whole right side of her neck and down her arm.

She got up quickly and made her way to the kitchen, a lot of stuff in Beni's house was expensive and she now had an irrational urge to not stain anything.

Jessica sat down on a stool, leaning her elbows on the table she let the realisation of what happened tonight wash over her.

How could she lose everything in one night?

She resisted the urge to touch the gash on her neck, he had left two gaping wounds; he hadn't been exactly gently. The thing was she wasn't meant to survive to feel the after effects.

How in hell could this have happened to her? No matter what Zeke had said and Mia with her tales and even the proof of Millie and Javid, Jessica had never really believed it.

And now that was the only thing she could do. And the only few things that were going through her head were what would she say to Zeke?

'Sorry darling but one of the most important things you hold close to your heart is going to ruin our relationship.'

Yes, she could see it now, why hadn't it been Zeke; she could have handled that, Zeke with his soothing words and soft lips.

But Avan? He had ruined Mia's life, left her to go slowly insane and maybe that was what he was trying to do to her as well.

But truthfully, Avan had been as shocked as her.

She heard someone walk down the stairs and she took a deep breath and composed herself.

Beni walked through the Kitchen door; a night robe wrapped around him self, "and what sort of time do you call this young…" but his few last words trailed off as he came to stand on the other side of the counter in front of Jessica and saw the state she was in, "Holy Mother of God," he muttered.

"Hi Beni," with all her training she could have come up with something better, an extravagant lie maybe that would have seemed somewhat flawed but would be accepted anyway, the thing she was tired and it was four O'clock in the morning and she had lost a serious amount of blood.

"What the hell has happened to you?"

"I got into a fight and lost," she laughed, she had never lost a fight – the evidence of it was that she was still alive.

Beni came closer to her more tentatively, "I think you need an ambulance."

She shook her head, "I'm fine; all I need is a good night's sleep."

He frowned, he didn't believe her of course and she wasn't surprised. "Well at least let's get you cleaned up."

She smiled at him the best she could and gingerly got out of her seat, "have you got some antiseptic?"

"Yeah upstairs I think, stay here a sec…"

And Beni would have finished his sentence if only Jessica hadn't just fainted and fallen to the floor.

He rushed to her side and tried to make sure that she was in the recovery position while he got out his cell phone and called for assistance.

* * *

Mia wandered around the Daybreak Safe house. She felt lost, half empty somehow; Gunner wasn't beside her like he always had been and now all she had to sustain were fake smiles and small encouragements that she would be fine.

She didn't feel fine, the ghosts around her could tell anyone that – if anyone could see them.

She hadn't slept properly for weeks and the strain of it was lugging down on her. If Gunner was here he would have fixed it for her, he always had done, but now – she stumbled in her pacing.

Her hand came to her head and blood filled her vision and her heart leapt out for Jessica, people tried to sit her down and with many attempts she was seated, a crowd of people around her.

Concern written over their faces, she had been here for a few days now yet she still couldn't see these people as actual individuals, in the Company they were taught to detach themselves from everything out there in the world, she just wished now that it would go way. How could these people help her when deep down she didn't want them to, didn't trust them.

But they were the only people out there now who wouldn't just see her as a pay packet, Mia was wanted dead, that or dragged back to the Company, right now she could imagine the people she had grown up with muttering her name with bitterness and disgust. She has abandoned them exactly as Ryan had.

Her thoughts returned to Jessica, the knowledge installed in her that she couldn't help her. She could tell the Day breakers but like her they wouldn't know where she was and why would they want to save an assassin anyway?

Even if it was Jessica.

They all helped her up, those named faces that she couldn't connect together as actually being something, someone with a life.

This would all be over soon, the ghosts had told her, even the one who had shown her how their souls were twined, this would all be over soon and she would be so much more better, she smiled to her self from the comfort of the thought and could only hope that Jessica would be alright.

* * *

Jessica's eyes fluttered open to find harsh light around her and an oddly discomforting smell of disinfectant.

"Beni," she muttered, for he was the last person she remembered speaking to, "What's going on?"

But Beni wasn't there, only a stranger hovered within her vision, the stranger called out and Beni came over, a concerned frown on his face.

"Where am I?" she sat herself up to the displeasure of the stranger.

"In a private hospital that I know of, Jessica lay back down, you lost a lot of blood."

She looked at him with eyebrows high, "I've survived worse," she muttered, as she shakily got to her feet and tried out her legs. "And Beni didn't say I didn't need a hospital."

"Yes you did Jessica, but that was before you blacked out and fell to the floor."

She didn't reply to that and just started to stretch her muscles.

"You shouldn't be a live, you know that don't you?"

She stilled and looked at the speaker, it was the messily dressed man with a white overcoat on, she could only guess he was the doctor. He started to squirm so she looked away, "and your basis for that? Because you know what? I hear that a lot in my line of work."

"For starters you lost a lot of blood and from the look of the wounds on your head; I'm amazed you haven't had any massive brain damage. People who've had your wounds don't normally get up for weeks."

"Well thank you for that, but as you see – I'm still walking," she eyed Beni up as he looked at her in concern, "can we go home now?"

He sighed, "If we must," he turned to the doctor, "is there anything we can do for her at home?"

The man nodded, "keep her under twenty four hour observation for the next day or two, just to make sure there aren't any internal bleeds and if there's the faintest hint of anything drag her back here, willingly or not."

Beni nodded at the man and headed out of the room, he led Jessica out of the hospital and with some bewildered glances from a couple of Beni's men, he helped her into his car, they drove in virtual silence until they approached the house.

"Jessica, I'm going to have to tell your Father about this and you know he will want who ever did this to you to pay."

Jessica just nodded.

"If you told me right here, right now it would make things easier."

She sighed and turned around to him in her seat, "Beni there is never going to be any payback. You should understand what I do is dangerous and this is just another consequence. I've ended up in this state before and I've survived through it and will many times in the future. There will never be payback, maybe for me, but not for you."

She tried to phrase the next bit as politely as she could. "The thing is Beni you don't understand. What I do when I'm away from here has nothing to do with the family and that is the way it will always stay – when I'm away all there is, is death and I can't bring it back home with me. Because then you would really see what I've become and then you wouldn't want to know me at all. This has happened," the car stilled outside the house and Jessica opened the door, "and will most probably happen again."

And Beni had to nothing to say to that and followed her into the house.

* * *

Elizabeth sat in Tristan's front room; he busied himself with his drink cabinet as he tried to soothe his shaking hands.

It had been hundred of years since she had seen him last and no matter how much she had changed over the years, an odd primal feeling clung on inside of her, wanting that feeling that Tristan had brought to her so long ago.

"Why are you like this?"

He turned around, a glass of whisky in his hand, he opened his mouth and then closed it again shaking his head, "past lives teach you a lot," he muttered, "and one of them was not being a victim anymore."

"You were never a victim."

"Really?" his voice was bitter and he sat himself down in the seat opposite her, "because from the angle I was viewing it – I saw being knifed to death as a bit of a downfall."

She nodded then her head dropping down, "I found you at the foot of the stairs," tears slid down her face, "and I knew something had happened but I couldn't find you and then you were just there, still, the blood all around you," she gasped, "I couldn't save you in time."

"No," he looked away and got up and walked to the window, he was an old man now and in a matter decades he had learnt things he felt he should have learnt in the past lives. There was no room for revenge anymore, because if he did, where could he stop?

"I came just for you."

He turned back and faced her, "I know, but I'm an old man now and I'm sure you don't need a sugar daddy."

She smiled, "No I don't, but I need you."

* * *

Jessica lay there in her bed and ignored her cell phone as it shrilled beside her, she looked at the display and noted Zeke's name as it flashed there. She put the thing under her pillow and continued in her unsuccessful slumber.

She didn't want to speak to him; she didn't want to speak to anyone. Beni knocked on her door for the third time that day and looked in on her.

He smiled, "you okay?"

"Fine thanks."

"Your father is worried about you."

She shrugged, "well maybe if he talked to me he wouldn't be." She turned her back on Beni then and pretended to try to go to sleep, Beni got the hint and left.

It wasn't that she didn't have the energy to get up; it was just that she didn't see the point of it. What would she exactly do if she got up, what was the purpose?

She sighed as another knock sounded at her door, "yes?" she snapped.

Beni's head popped round the door, "you seem to have a visitor, you see," he quipped, "I'm not the only one concerned about you."

She smiled sardonically at him as she sat her self up and tried to unwrinkled her clothes.

Her mood deflated and her hand went to her nearest knife when Avan appeared in her doorway, dressed all in black with a very profession look about him, he thanked Beni and closed the door after him. Her hand gripped tighter around the handle.

"Nice to see you up and about."

She stared at him in suspicion, "don't lie," she spat, "what do you want?"

"A truce," he replied calmly, he looked around the room Beni had given her, it had sparse belongings and no real character, the exact way Jessica planned to keep it.

"Of what, me ending up dead?"

A dry smile quickly appeared and disappeared the very next second, "funny but no, I looked into this 'soul mate' business," he said, saying those two words as if they weren't meant to be repeated in polite society, "and there seems some complications."

"Yeah," Jessica's voice was as dry as his, "my soul being linked to yours being it."

"Yes that is one, but another is that if I kill you I risk my sanity and my own life at that, not something I'm much keen on."

"Yeah, death and insanity, they can be a bit of a downer."

"Good, we're in an agreement." He looked around and decided upon something and sat down in a chair Beni had put on the other side of the room as a sort of observation post of her healing body.

"The other night was a shock to say the least," he said carefully, he sighed and his eyes were like an old man realising he had seen too much, "I lived a long time," he admitted, "and what you saw, I have never allowed anyone to get close to seeing – this connection we have is dangerous, you must agree?"

She brought the knife up to her lap and rested it there and nodded, "yes I do, what was seen, what you saw. There are reasons why things are kept private and with something like that," she shook her head and decided that was going to be the extent of her heart to heart.

"I think it's time you left."

Avan looked at her and nodded, "there'll be another time for this discussion."

He left in a silence and she heard muffled conversation between him and Beni on the other side of the door.

She shook her self down, the urge to just curl up in a little ball and go back to sleep was overwhelming. Jessica changed her clothes, grabbed her wallet and headed for the door.

Her cell phone rang again, she took a deep breath and pressed the answer button, she tiredly smiled "hello Zeke, I know I'm sorry, I've had a bad sort of week…"

* * *

Nidra glared at him, "what do you mean she's coming over! She can't come over or she'll notice Mia is here and you do remember that slightly important discussion we had about that don't you?"

"Oh course I do," Zeke was not a happy guy, he hadn't been in contact with his girlfriend for days and now when he did have a chance to see her, fate was acting against him, that or Nidra – either way they had the same effect.

"But Nidra you have to understand, something's wrong."

"How do you know something's wrong. She's an assassin and all they are, are manipulative and cold, how on Earth can you tell?"

"The way she spoke to me, okay? You might not like her but I trust her with my life and she's not like what the rest of you have categorised her as."

Nidra looked down, her perfect manicured nails raking through her hair. "You're in love," she said simply, "and when we're in love we're blind to many things and even if she's a danger or not. In the situation we're in right now – we can't let anyone in. Meet her outside the building."

Zeke stood there, his body stiff, the anger leaking out of every pore, "fine," he snapped and with that turned away.

* * *

The thing Jessica never met him outside the building – she wasn't even in the same district.

As she had stood outside in the cool afternoon air, she realised that she would have to explain everything to him, the bruises covering half her face, the neck wound and she knew whatever she said would never be enough.

She had snuck back inside almost instantaneously and grabbed her clothes and shoved them away, pocketing her knives and her katana. She ransacked her room for her car keys – the thing she hadn't used since her journey there.

And went to go back to the place she had left so quickly just a few weeks previously.

* * *

Tristan looked over to Elizabeth and shook his head, "if I agree to this, will you just let me die?"

Elizabeth looked down, Tristan had waited so long for her just to turn up at his door and tell him everything was going to be all right.

The problem now was that he had waited too long. He was an old man and he just wanted to wait in silent solitude for his end.

"Agreed," she whispered, "it is the right thing."

He nodded in agreement, "I know, but it's a lot of people's lives, you have to remember that and a few words from me will only probably cause a rebellion."

"A rebellion is a good start – I got word this morning," she sat down next to him, her hand on his knee. No matter how many days they had spent together pouring over the facts he still felt the disbelief that she was here, "I got word that one of the assassins has gone AWOL. If this doesn't cause controversy I don't know what will."

Tristan nodded, "I just wish there was another way."

* * *

Zeke stood in the freezing cold night air, letting it numb his hurt feelings.

She had just disappeared – Beni had just looked at him blankly and searched the house with a vigorous ferocity only to find what Zeke himself had suspected, she had simply taken off, why hadn't he been enough reason for her to stay?

He heard footsteps behind him and slightly turned, Mia was out in the freezing cold with him, in the back yard of the apartment block.

"What the hell!" he quickly grabbed her arm and motioned for them to head back in doors, "you know the risks!"

She nodded, "of course I do." she pulled her arm away from his grasp, for someone so fragile looking she was stronger that Zeke imagined. "Nidra told me about Jessica and she would never just take off. Something's wrong, something is seriously wrong and if I were in your shoes I would find out."

"Maybe she doesn't want me to, there has to be a reason she didn't tell me."

Mia laughed at him, amazed by his stupidity, "You do know what she is, don't you – you do know how emotion is frowned upon in that type of business?"

He nodded; thinking of how he thought Jessica had been so different.

"She's never been any good at unravelling them; I can only guess she told you about her and Ryan."

Zeke looked back at her, Jessica had mentioned an old boyfriend with that name but had only said that it had ended badly, "little, that they went out and then he left her."

Mia laughed at that, "left her is a word to describe it, abandon is a better one. Ryan had been her best friend for over ten years and eventually her lover but all of a sudden he changes his moral ground and couldn't stand working for the Company anymore – offers Jessica a one term deal that she would have to give up everything she knew to run away with him and his human hating family."

Mia shrugged, puffing out her warm breath into the air around her, "as you can guess she declined, she has loyalty and she wouldn't trade us for someone who would change his moral code instantly. He left her heart broken, the day after they went missing I found her drunk outside my apartment door, in a bitter hangover mood the next day she spat out the truth and after that she said nothing. Jessica is amazing, she would give her life for me instantly but ask her to show you her weaknesses and she would rather step out in front of a high speeding bus," she shrugged, "it doesn't happen."

"I'm her boyfriend."

"And what do you think Ryan was? Something must have happened, she doesn't just take off – routine is a sacred part of our daily lives and this wasn't part of it."

"I don't know where to start."

"Maybe you should start from the point you last saw her. It's not a hard process, I'm going in before anyone notices my disappearance, now go and be a good boy and try to save the world."

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Jessica was tired, not only physically but emotional, it had ground down to her bones and she felt stupidly devoid of life.

She put her key in the front lock and turned it, slightly amazed that it still worked; it felt like a lifetime since she had left. The house was quiet as she entered and she trailed upstairs to her old bedroom, amazed yet again that her key worked in the door and found it in exactly the same state as she had left it.

She threw her bag across the floor and collapsed on the bed and winced at the pain in her back where Avan had thrown her to the floor a couple of nights ago. She gingerly touched the side of her face; it was still tender and looked like she had just got into a fight with a make-up artist whose weapons of choice were purple and green.

The floorboards creaked outside of her door; she pushed her hand under her pillows and pulled out an ornate dagger yet stayed still, exhausted where she fell.

Her door flew open and the dagger flew out of her hand. It flew past Trey's head and he gave her a deadpan look, "you missed."

She grinned, knowing he couldn't see her within the shadows of her room, "I meant to."

He flicked on the light switch and she winced as her eyes adjusted, he whistled under his breath as she sat up to face him.

"What the hell happened to you?"

She looked at him, the grim smile still nonchalantly on her face, "I could ask the same of you, what made you think that hair cut was a good idea?"

He glared at her, "this hair cut suits me thank you," and then changed the subject, "but you haven't answered my question, what the hell happened?"

She shrugged, not that willing to share, "nothing much."

"So bruises like that just appear over night do they?"

She shrugged again, "I don't know, let me get someone with a biology degree on the phone and we can ask them, why do you want to know?"

"Still cagey as ever," he commented and closed the door behind him, the dagger still inserted in the wall in the hallway, "you're my friend Jess and no matter how you bait me I always will be, so tell me what happened or I will have to pin you down and make you listen to some pop music," he paused as if thinking, "how does Jessica Simpson sound?"

"Awful." She sighed and explained it to him in length, Mia and Zeke and finding out Sequoia was really Avan and then trying to kill Avan just to find out that that stupid soul mate curse existed, "and now I'm stuck in this hell of not being able to kill him, even now I know his one weakness." She finished.

"And what would that be?"

She looked at him as if he should have realised it already, "it's me, Stupid."

And it dawned on him, no matter how good Jessica was, she was still only human. And humans were only mortal and having a mortal linked to your soul was a dangerous thing, for the only real thing they could count on in their short lives was death.

And Trey was sure that was not a word Avan would like to hear, especially when it was linked with his. Trey wanted to soothe her but couldn't find the words to help. She looked at him and smiled, she seemed to understand.

"So what are you going to do about?"

"Ignore it."

"Yeah, because that always helps doesn't it?"

She turned to him, her eyes a cold green, the colour of a forest after a storm. "Trey, I'm tired. I'm tired of being deluded into happiness and then seeing it snatched away. I'm tired of being allowed to think that once in my screwy life I could be normal, I was accepted by the one guy who thought I was perfect and now I'm eternally linked to his brother who isn't."

"You're still accepted by him; by the sounds of it Zeke loves you. You don't need to tell him about this so-called soul mate thing. You're happy, it'd just ruin it."

"Was happy, remember to use the past tense for that in the future. I was happy," she muttered again, all she could see now was her future with Zeke shadowed by Avan. He would always be there and always willing to use the connection against her. "It can't last."

"Why not?"

She looked at him and wanted to say it was because she was cursed, that killers weren't allowed to love, it was their punishment for their deeds. But the words failed to form; she shook her head. "It's impossible," she simply replied, "I can't, Avan is always going to be there and now I can't help but see him in Zeke and it's frightens me."

She took a deep breath and adverted her eyes so she didn't have to see the look on Trey's face, "I've never been afraid of anything that I couldn't conquer or kill. And this one fear is a weakness I can't have. We were brought up to have none, to learn from other's mistakes – you have a weakness someone can get at; you correct it. But I can't do it with this and if I put this as far away from me as possible, Zeke included, at least I can forget it for a while."

She looked back at him, "this isn't simple Trey and no matter how much I wish it was, it's not going to change. It has to be over and in time Zeke will understand why, but not just now."

And Trey was left silent, what could he say. Her words made sense, Zeke was part of Avan's family and no matter how far away she took herself from Avan, if she still saw Zeke, he would always be there. That's what families were about; you didn't get one person without the other.

* * *

Tristan stood outside of the car, flexing his legs. Arthritis had set into them a couple of years ago and now it was just another thing about this old body that he had to deal with.

Elizabeth walked out of the of the gas station and smiled at him, he felt a knot tie in the middle of his stomach and then that twinge of sadness, knowing that it was far too late.

"You okay now?"

He smiled and nodded, "yeah, just the long drive doesn't agree with me."

"We can rest here longer if you want?"

Tristan shook his head, "No, we need to keep carrying on. We need to get this finished."

Her eyes were cold as she nodded to him, "ok, let's go."

Elizabeth wanted to tell him all the things she hadn't in all the centuries past, but she hadn't even told him about Lycoris and with each moment she didn't mention it, the harder it got to say.

She wanted to tell him that they had a son, a magnificent man with the world at his fingertips but every time she looked at him, she couldn't get herself to say it. What would it change? He would still be indifferent and she would be left doubting herself again.

She nodded again and walked over to the driver's side, "come on then, let's keep on going."

* * *

Mia traced the slight blue veins on the surface of her skin, she was tired, but she always was now.

Zeke sat down opposite her at the table, his elbows rested on the table top and he frowned, he didn't look like he had much sleep either, if Mia had the power in her she would have made him forget, given him a spell so he wouldn't have to worry anymore.

But she knew he wouldn't have accepted it, three days had passed since Jessica's disappearance and no matter what anyone said, Zeke wasn't going to give up and wasn't going to listen to anyone's fanciful ideas, no matter how much they were chained to reality.

He was still in love with her, the poor boy.

Mia shook her head and opened her mouth as if to say something, but her vocals resisted to work.

"I keep fighting with myself," Zeke admitted to her in the solitary of the empty room. "I know she wouldn't have left without a reason, but I also know that if she cared enough she would have told me what it was. I do love her, I just can't stand the thought that she wasn't running away from something, but someone and that someone was me."

"Don't be stupid," Mia looked back at him without pity, "she's done it for her own selfish reason and maybe she can't deal with everything right now. But I'll tell you something," She concluded, "we always end up from where we started from."

And with that cryptic message she got herself up and left the room, her trail of dead behind her.

* * *

Jessica should have known something was wrong; the banging at the door should have been the clue, when everyone else visited they knew the back door was open.

She got out of bed and slipped a knife into her pocket from the bedside cabinet and trailed down the stairs with all the precaution she could use on a Sunday morning.

She could see the shadows through the fractured glass in the front door and opened it slowly.

Her Mother and her stepfather stood there, shadows playing under her mother's eyes and a furious intensity in her stepfather's.

"And how may I help you on this glorious morning," she said dryly.

She hadn't spoken to her mother properly since she had donated her bone marrow for her half brother Kieran and even then Jessica had ignored her.

"I want him back!"

Her mother's blurted words took a while to process, "excuse me?"

"Kieran," she shoved an opened envelope into her hands, "he's missing and it's all your fault."

"Just get right to the point why don't you," she muttered as she pulled the paper out of the envelope.

The words were simple, yet shook her to the core.

'Jessica' it started.

'Wanted to do something to gain your attention,

Your brother is safe for now.

But not for long unless you come back and face me.

I believe we have a few things to discuss.'

An 'A' was scrawled underneath. She sighed and closed her eyes, she could have never imagined he would do something like this and this was just to gain her attention, what would happen if he got really mad?

She ran back up stairs, the front door still ajar with her Mother and stepfather loitering. The clothes she had packed away only a few days before were now all frantically stuffed back into her pack back and she shoved in her collection of knives and a gun and picked up her jacket up from the back of her chair, pocketed her wallet, grabbed her keys and just remembered to snatch her katana on the way out.

She pulled the door closed behind her, her Mother still there in the hallway. She looked down at her and frowned.

"I'll sort this out," she told them coldly, "head home, I'll bring him back."

And with that she shoved her way past them to her car, her mother grabbed at her arm and ended up with a handful of her jacket, Jessica swung around to face her.

"What?"

Her Mother stared at her intently; the bruises had now paled to a sickly yellowy green and the marks on her neck worn down to pink fading scars.

"Be careful," she told her daughter, "and both of you come back safe."

Jessica just simply nodded and pulled away.

* * *

Avan sat in his office, the atmosphere around him uncharacteristically uneasy.

The child sat on the sofa on the other side of the room, his small frame dwarfed by the size of the furniture and the room. The boy looked up at him and surveyed him and with a sudden change of character smiled and returned his gaze to the window.

Avan simply turned away, so Jessica calm disposition was hereditary. It would have been amused but this finicky soul mate connection had been scratching at the back of his brain and either he was getting a headache or Jessica was screwing with him.

The door swung open and bodies piled through, crammed into his office, Jessica nonchalantly pushed her way through. Her black hair unruly, her katana aimed at someone's throat and to Avan's delight, murder playing in her eyes.

Her eyes swung up and met his. Without removing her gaze she swung the katana behind her back, back into its sheath and took a few steps forwards and with her other arm snatched the boy off the sofa and into her arm. The boy stayed silent and clung on.

"Jessica," he cooed.

"Avan, what do you want. I'm not accustomed to playing games."

His men looked at him as if waiting to follow his next move; with a sweep of his gaze he motioned them out of the room. Jessica took a step to her side to let them through, her younger brother still in her arms.

"You can put him back down," Avan supplied, "we have a few things to discuss."

Avan wasn't surprised when she didn't move.

"I don't want him involved in anymore of this, I'm taking him home." She headed for the door and thunder struck in Avan's voice.

"I don't think so, we can take him home. You can come along if you want. I'm not letting you out of my sight, you understand?"

She didn't. But she wasn't going to admit it; she was tired and felt drained all over. "Fine." All she wanted to do was get this over and done with.

"Good. Let's head off."

She looked at Avan with suspiciousness but followed him anyway. There was only so much you could fight against until you caught yourself up against a brick wall and as long as she could get Kieran out of the middle of this, she would do anything.

* * *


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Jessica had only one hope left for her at the end of it all and as she woke on the morning of April 14th she suddenly realised that hope had gone.

Sparse memories ran through her head, her right hand suddenly went to the side of her neck and it fell upon smooth skin. She tried to rummage through it all but it came down to one memory. Avan telling her that there was only one way to assure his safety and then him lunging for her in the office.

And within one sure moment she suddenly realised that she had lost her mortality.

Her worst nightmare had materialised. She fell off the bed she was slumped on in a horrendous burst of energy and scrambled to her feet. Panic surging through her like a wild beast.

She couldn't understand how this could have come about. She had said over and over again what she felt about being changed. And for it to be done by him, Avan who could see inside her head anyway, he should have known better then anyone.

She wobbled on her feet, she didn't feel right. She knew that, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Something thrummed all around her, a low buzzing sound. Once she zoned that out she heard the birds outside and then voices. She paused and took a couple of steps to where they were coming from.

Without her realising it she was drawing closer to the door, she wavered on her feet, her head suddenly felt really tight. She rubbed her forehead and curled her toes on her bare feet to ease the tension, the carpet cushioning between her toes.

"Sir, are you sure about this?"

That voice she couldn't recognise, the next one she did though.

"Oh course I am, what did you expect me to do? Wait until someone heard rumours of this connection and then risk someone killing her off. What do you think would have happened to me?"

Right now Jessica didn't really care; she looked around the sparse bedroom.

There weren't any of her weapons, even without them she persisted with her righteous anger and turned the handle on the door and opened it to face the guilty on the other side.

"I know the risk sir, but she's a highly trained assassin. Don't you think she's going to be a bit miffed about this?"

"A bit?" Jessica's voice snapped like dry bracken, "I'd heighten that to extremely if I was you!"

Avan turned to her, his blue eyes darkened by the shadows cast by the blinds on the windows. "Jessica, I was wondering when you would delight us with your presence."

"Where's my katana?"

"Somewhere safe," he replied, "I don't think you're in any right state to have any of them right now."

"Really," the anger was rising in her voice note by note and no one could fail to miss it. She took a step towards him, her eyes now, by the magic of the change glistened an almost silver green that sang lullabies of death.

"Calm down," he told her coldly, "in time you'll get used to this. You simply have no choice."

She slapped him for that and his colleague stood shocked beside him, "You had no right," she spat, "and now I'm going to spend the rest of my life making you realise that."

Avan blinked, the expression on his face not changing. "I'll let you get away with that this once." His hand snapped out and snatched the wrist of the offending hand. "But next time I'll cut the thing off."

She pulled her hand away and took another step towards him, her face up to his. "Let me get away with it? Within a blink of an eye you manipulate me by involving my family and change my whole existence for your well being. And you're going to let me get 'away' with it? For some reason I don't think so."

Avan stood silent. Not in anger or defiance but in sheer nonchalance. Even if it was to the only other person who could possible understand him if given a chance, there were boundaries he never wanted crossed.

His colleague coughed and Jessica stepped back and turned slightly to see what she could use against him.

"This is Eli," Avan supplied, "one of my trusted friends, he's going to be around to show you the ropes."

She looked at him, Eli was just under 6ft and she looked at each other at eye lever. He had pale creamy skin, golden eyes that drew you in and a mop of expertly styled messy black hair.

"Show me the ropes?" Jessica bit back at him in disgust.

"I've just turned you into a vampire," Avan said stating the obvious, "and as I don't have to guess. You've never been one before and you will need a few apt lessons before we can let you run off into the pastures by yourself."

Her hand tightened into fist and before she could lash out, Eli's hand was holding it down, "I don't think that's a good idea. I'll take you out," he supplied softly; "you'll be getting hungry. We better head out."

"My shoes?"

Avan nodded behind her to the bedroom. "On the chair in the corner."

And with that she turned around, swallowing her pride. Because when you have such a big thing as your mortality stripped away so easily. You can only begin to wonder if someone like that can take anything else away as well.

* * *

"Rule one," Hira said, stating his demands. "Never leave my side," he pushed Gunner on the shoulder to make sure he was listening. "You listening buddy?"

Gunner glanced at him and blinked a few times as if he was getting the world back into focus. "Yeah, oh course I am. Never leave your side. I get it."

"Good, we go in by the back entrance. The whole place is warded so it'll be a quick snatch and run case. And as…" He paused at this part. When he was first approached by Gunner to get Mia back they had agreed that they would be the only ones to know about it.

The thing was, the circumstances they were now in didn't exactly allow that agreement to continue.

"We're going to be out numbered," Hira said calmly, he never lied to himself or to anyone around him. It never helped in the end, "so I had to call in some help."

"Some help!" Gunner voice was stripped of any nicety.

"We needed help and I had to make a decision and I believe I made the right one. Follow me."

Hira walked out of their hired room and turned right down the hall. Being used to following orders, Gunner got up from his seat and followed him out.

Not ten metres down the hall in a double room, six of their fellow assassins waited to be informed.

Gunner's face dropped, Hira quickly grabbed him and pulled him in, shutting the door behind him.

"I've told them everything and don't look like that ok? They're risking expulsion, even execution to help us."

Gunner looked around at them. Mike, Zareh, Nic, Lalia, Cherry and Don had all defied the Company to be here and he suddenly felt something tighten around his chest - a sudden sense of a family.

"We just want to make sure she's safe," Cherry clarified, "we all knew what was going on and just chose to ignore it. Hoping it would go away. We can't abandon her now, especially when we can help her."

Gunner nodded and Hira patted him on the shoulder. "Good," Hira smiled and took a map out of his inside jacket pocket and started unwrapping it. The others moved away from the bed so they all could study it. "We'll all get in here," Hira indicated, pulling some blueprints from behind the map and pointing to the back entrance.

"They have wards so we'll all need to work together."

The rest nodded in agreement and Hira sighed with relief and made sure that this went off with as few hitches as he could predict.

* * *

"That was easy."

Jessica pulled away from her first ever blood meal and looked back at Eli when he said that. She carefully licked the blood away from her lips, "So what do I do now?"

"Um, let's see. He's still alive so that's an advantage. Lets see how good you're at telepathy." Eli moved in closer and examined the man she had in her grasp a bit more. As if he was pondering on the next move.

Eli had directed her into a near by local Park. As luck was, it had a small wood sheltering the edges and with her new telepathic powers. He had patiently taught her how to lure some unsuspecting victim, even in broad daylight.

"Now remember how I taught you to enter their minds, now that's good." She could feel his mind almost directing her and it was really weird. Every time she told him that, he just laughed and said that she would get used to it, it wasn't like she was going to run out of time.

"Now find that memory of you that he has – good – now twist it, more slowly though. Now imagine if you were a twenty or something man, you've seen inside his head so you know what he likes. Give him a new memory, something like he was sure he saw something and came in here for a look. Make it pleasurable, dreamlike. Excellent, well done."

"You're a fast learner," he complimented.

"Thanks," she replied stiffly, but now the main things she needed to learn were over, she wanted to get down to business. She knew the Night World law and was suddenly curious to Avan's plans.

"I need to ask something," she said moving away from the man now slumped beside the tree.

"Ok, we better move on though." And he directed her away and out of the wood and back on the main street.

"How can Avan get away with this? He's made an illegal vampire, the Council will want his and my death for compensation."

"You're pretty clued up aren't you?" Eli shrugged and put on his sunglasses again. He handed her the ones just moments ago brought for her and she put them on, the sun burning into her eyes.

"Avan can pretty much do what he wants. The Council have no power over him and they both know it. Avan rang them up and simply told them and all they could do was agree with his decision. Even though they don't know the real reason. That's how things work with him, he has the power and everyone knows it."

"Really now."

"Yes really," Eli sounded almost sorry for her, "You were lucky, Avan actually thought you were important enough to protect."

Jessica laughed, "No, he wasn't thinking of me at all."

"That's just the way he is, you'll learn that."

"But I don't want to," Jessica snapped, "if he thinks he can wrap me up in cotton wool because he's afraid of his sanity. He's got it wrong."

Eli looked at her, his sunglasses hiding any real expression except the way he grimly bit down on his lower lip. "This wasn't just a thoughtless last resort Jessica. You have to understand. Since he found about this, this is all he's been thinking about, he had to make a decision and he did. If now right or wrong. In time you'll understand."

"I don't want to," she bit back sharply. "After this I'm gone and he can do what ever he wants. Because I won't be around to feel the after shock."

"He won't like it."

Jessica just shrugged. "When have I ever cared?"

* * *

The sweep of the building was precise and exact.

They had entered the ward mostly undetected with the help that they had no life force. Nic could feel the Witches get a bit finicky, all of them not sure what had passed the ward. They all hid in the shadows. The witches had come out and assured to them selves that there was nothing there and had soon retreated back in.

The assassins had all quickly arranged a meeting place if they got distracted or separated and since pulling out Jessica and Ryan out of that cell over a year ago. Headed into their biggest assignment to date.

They headed into the building in two teams; one was with Gunner and the other with Hira. Once entered, Don, Lalia and Mike headed down to the basement with Gunner and Cherry, Nic and Zareh headed upstairs with Hira.

It was strangely easy at first; people had walked past them with puzzled looks. It was only when they realised that they weren't supposed to be there, that was when the trouble began.

Hira was the one to find her; the room had two people outside of it. For some reason it all seemed too easy.

They opened the door; it had taken them just a little while to go through the winding hallways. The place was much nicer then it looked like from the outside.

Mia had been sitting in the corner of the room, her knees tucked underneath her head. Slowly rocking back and forth. Hira was the one to come carefully towards her, calling her name so tentatively.

"Mia?"

Her head shot up and she saw the recognition in her eyes and then the sudden shock. Not sure for what purpose they were here for.

"We're here to save you," he offered, "we're going to take you home and make you better. Ok?"

She nodded and got up slowly with his help. She had been here for weeks and still was haunted. Still only got a couple of hours sleep a day. She was in need of saving and no matter what the dead told her. She wanted a second chance.

One of the others must have beckoned mentally down to Gunner and the others, as he was quickly pushing his way through, his breath coming out in rasps.

"Come on, we better be quick. They've got a whole army down there and I don't really fancy facing them."

Gunner quickly took Mia's hand in his and while the others gathered around them, they rushed their way out.

Everything was well and good and going to plan until they made their way out to the back yard, where they had entered so smoothly. A swarm of Day breakers were there waiting for them.

"Shit." Was all Hira could mutter.

"I believe she's under our protection." A short blonde day breaker pointed out.

A tight circle of protective assassins wound its way around Mia.

"She's now in ours," Gunner bit back.

"We're not letting you leave here with her, you have to understand that."

"And you have to understand we're not leaving here without her." The unusually quiet Nic had gained a voice.

"What a dilemma," the blonde stated, "especially because you're outnumbered."

Nic shrugged, "we may be outnumbered, but you're out-skilled."

"We're not letting her go," the blonde doggedly spat.

Mia sighed with the small group around here, "well you lot can fight and I'll take the back door out of here." Her head poked through the others around her. "I don't want you protection anymore. I just never realised it was never needed."

"You're not in sound mind," the blonde stated.

"Well if I'm not, these people are my family and they have the right to decide what's best for me. You complete strangers, do not."

It took more bitter arguments and a couple more near confrontations to convince them that they were leaving with Mia. It was surprisingly a non-violent expedition and came back with no broken bones.

All very puzzled, they had simply shrugged. Day breakers were like that they supposed and had sat Mia down in their hired room and they had looked upon her with concern.

She wavered away their distress.

"We have more pressing matters." She told them, her voice demanding audience, "Jessica is in a world full of trouble right now and just having travelled through hell. I think she's in need of a family reunion."

* * *

Jessica rested her head at the end of the couch, her long legs resting out across it. She had been invited into Avan's 'Office' and then had been promptly ignored from that point onwards.

She had pushed aside any façade of politeness and had spread out of the couch and had rested her head on the armrest and had then begun to randomly sing one hundred green bottles sitting on the wall in her head.

Halfway through Avan had rudely interrupted, covering the talk piece of his phone.

"Can you please just stop that," he spat, "meaningfully or not, that is all I can hear in my head and it's not helping matters."

Jessica simply made a face at him, put her finger up and continued with her boredom.

Eli had been correct when they had been in the park. Avan hadn't been very willing when she mentioned her leaving. He had coldly put, that she had just been transformed into a world that she wasn't fully aware of and it wouldn't be in her interest to leave until she was fully clued up.

How much grudgingly, she had still accepted and had set down a time limit on how long she was going to be here. Now, she had only six days left until she could leave this hellhole.

She was counting down the hours with anticipation. She stood up, her patience running out and stormed out of his room.

In the last couple of days she had navigated her way through the large building and all the inhabitants had merely treated her with cold interest. Eli had informed her that they didn't know the reason for Avan personally changing her, yet were all distinctively curious and jealous at the same time.

She headed down to one of the main halls so she could be in view of the gardens, even though she wasn't allowed out on her own.

When she had asked Eli why they would be jealous like that, he had simply chuckled at her.

'I was once human,' he had informed her.

She had asked him his point. He had simply smiled at her again and explained how Avan had personally chosen him and the few other vampires working here because of their potential.

Jessica had still looked at him blank faced. So he continued.

'But none of us were actually changed by him though,' Eli informed her and then told her of how he always got his colleagues to do that. Hadn't thought that it would really be worth his time.

'But we know the reason why he did with me though. Doesn't want his little secret getting out, does he?'

And as always Eli quickly replied, 'but they don't know that do they? For some reason they all think you're really special.'

Jessica had shrugged and informed him that she was special no matter what people said. He had laughed at that and for a while it had lightened the mood – but not for long.

'He'll never really let you go, you know that don't you?'

Jessica had looked at him peculiarly and asked him why he brought it up.

'When he told me about you two and then his plans.' Eli had paused. 'You know you're the only real person I've felt sorry for.'

But she dismissed his pity and asked why Avan would never let her go.

He had explained to her that Avan had never gone through something like this before. The last woman who had threatened him and had held any power over him, he had sliced her open and let her bleed to death. But he couldn't do it to Jessica and Avan understood this more then anybody.

'You hold power over him,' Eli had simply stated and then told her that he would never really let her go, because with something like that. Well he would never be sure where he stood and in Avan's life control was one of his main ambitions.

'Why tell me this?' she had asked, because moment by moment she was getting more confused and knew that soon she wouldn't be able to take anymore in.

'Because you're a good person, whatever your profession and you don't deserve this.' And with that he had walked away.

She looked out of the window and into the beautiful gardens. She hadn't been out there yet. This was her third day here and all she could remember of the gardens were the sights of them when she was here for that ball. When this whole disaster had started.

Jessica had settled down on a chair along the sides of one of the walls. She was bored and still in negotiation about getting her weapons back.

She was just about to nod off when a whole ruckus of a noise started from the front of the house. Jessica got up and started wandering towards the door.

But before she got a decent look, Eli had appeared and had pulled her back and said that Avan was dealing with it. And of course that it would be no interest to her. When he said that, she knew he was lying.

There were two main halls to this house, one at the front and the other at the back facing the gardens. These were both connected with arching door, which just so happened to be closed. She had pushed her way past Eli and pulled on one of the doors and had stood there stunned to see Hira and her whole year minus Gunner standing their ground.

"Hira?" Jessica screeched and had run her way across just to be stopped halfway there by Avan grabbing hold of her arm.

There were seven of them there and anger shone in their eyes. "You let go of her." Hira spat, his voice booming across the hall.

Jessica had pulled away from Avan and the more she did, the harder his grip got. "Why are they here?" he asked her like this was her doing.

She stilled and looked at him, "Why do you think? They're my friends; didn't you think they might start looking for me?"

He let go of her arm and his eyes darted over to the small group, his expression as always cold.

"You're not ready to leave," he spat, yet only at a level so she heard.

Her eyes mimicked his with coldness, "yes I am. The thing is. Are you actually going to let me?"

"You're not a prisoner."

"Really, because I wouldn't have guessed."

He looked back over to them, her small group of friends bickering with the guards around them. "So what are you going to do?"

She shrugged, "It's quite clear. If you were in my shoes you would do the same. I'm leaving." And with that she turned around and walked away. Knowing how much this must be killing Avan, losing that control over her.

She ran over to the group and straight into arms of Hira, her most trusted friend.

Jessica had looked over her shoulder as they had left the house, weaponless yet pleased to be free. She had spied Avan standing there amid all his employees and Eli, his face as always cold. But for one sure moment she was sure she had won this round.

It felt good for once, especially because she had hopelessly lost all the others. She turned around to the rest, all of them looking at her in shock of what she had become.

"We'll talk about it later," she stated, "hey, where's Gunner?"

And with that they had to explain it all and when they did that. Jessica had realised how much she had missed and had promised to herself that she would never get so carried away with her own life ever again. Because the recruits came in a unit and when split up, it was clear. Chaos would run a mock.

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifthteen

Jessica sat them all down and explained it to them.

While she was in the car on the way there she thought through a lot of the stuff she would have to say. And had decided to censer half of it.

It wasn't that she didn't trust her fellow recruits. It was the simple fact that telling them the whole truth would bring out an anger in them that she wouldn't be able to control.

How could she tell them the man who had started all this with Mia's kidnapping. Was the man who was intangible linked to her? And no matter what, they would never be able to carry out their revenge on him, because as the tale said it would harm her as much as him.

Surprisingly she found herself skirting around those pieces of knowledge and had found that the lies had easily rolled off her tongue.

"I got attacked and Sequoia saved my life by making me this." And she simply left it at that.

Later when they had all decided they had caught up with each other enough. Hira, who for some strange reason knew her better then the rest, had taken her aside and asked for the truth.

Jessica looked at him with her new eyes that winced at early morning sun and now saw a million more stars then before and merely blinked without expression.

"I don't know what you mean." She simply retorted.

He hadn't taken that as a suitable answer and had dragged her out of the rented room. Through the hotel's hallways and out into the cool night air.

But even when they had reached that point, he still pulled her along. Past the concrete buildings that sat unattractively side by side and through the entrance to the local park. The same one where only a couple of days previous she had been taught to hunt her first feed.

Hira had pulled her down with him as he sat down in the middle of the park amidst the lone stretch of grass that opened to the view of the night sky.

"Now tell me." He had stated stubbornly.

But when she had tried to open her mouth to find the words, nothing came out. She tried again and she shook her head, "I just can't" and no matter how futile the words were, she couldn't pull the truth out of her.

"Did he do something to you?"

She laughed at that, "look at me, he did this to me. Do you need to ask?"

Hira sighed, his eyes a whirlpool of a fathomless black. "You never wanted to be like this Jessica. I know that and so do all the others back in that room as well."

"Well things change," she answered feebly.

"No. Not with you. Because no matter how many times you were asked; on a monthly basis for years by us. You always refused. It was your only way out Jessica, your mortality. I knew that."

And now she was stuck here. Immortality is just a grand gift – if wanted. But right now Jessica felt cursed and a long lifetime of never ending days swept out in front of her.

She wiped the first tear away. She couldn't remember the last time she cried and even now she was trying to hide it with earnest.

"He's my soul mate."

Hira stilled and looked at her expressionless, "what?"

"Soul mate. You're night world I'm sure you know the phrase."

"Oh course I do, but who?"

"Sequoia, I found out a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to kill him and found out now, I never can."

"The bitterness is for a reason I suppose?"

"I don't want this," her head shook with the words, "I just wanted to live my life and then die, that's it. My plan was so simple. And now I can't even do that."

"Aren't soul mates meant to be a good thing?" Hira's voice was tentative, like he was stepping over eggshells.

"If you like them, sure. But I hate him so much – the thought of him scratches at the back of my head, like spiders trying to get into my brain."

"Nice imagery," Hira commented dryly, "but why change you?"

"Because my mortality was a fragility he didn't want. They say if one soul mate dies the other lives on in quiet torment," she shrugged, "he didn't even want to think of the possibility. So decided the best way was to unwillingly change me. I woke up three days ago and realised I lost something I never realised I really had."

"And what was that?"

"My humanity."

* * *

When Jessica had finally wandered back with Hira by her side, everyone's faces were drawn and all Jessica could do was sigh.

"What's happened?"

"The Company have called, they want Mia back – said that she's going to be tried for desertion."

Nic's words were strained and Jessica could see the pain in his eyes. She knew that none of them would give up Mia and that all their problems were going to start from here.

"Do they know where we are?"

Nic shook his head, "but it won't take them long I'm sure."

Jessica looked back at Hira, he bit down on his lip in thought, "go get Mia," he ordered in his quick and efficient way, he nodded towards Nic, "show her the way, get her ready and meet back here. We need to head out."

Jessica followed Nic down the hallway and into a room that they held. Mia's still form was covered up under some blankets and Gunner was sat beside the bed on a small chair keeping his vigil.

Gunner glanced up at her and smiled.

"Wake her up," Jessica walked around the bed and started picking up weapons and maps off the floor, "we're heading out. The Company has gotten word of her."

He simply nodded and shook Mia's shoulder gently. A tired smile lit up her face when she opened her eyes and Gunner whispered to her, before Jessica wouldn't have heard but now it felt like he was shouting.

"Come on," Jessica's voice was curt; Mia looked at her with confusion. "We can't hang about."

Gunner helped Mia up, leaving Jessica and Nic to collect all their belongings. They trailed behind them as they made their way back to the other room.

Mia quickly glanced back at Jessica; she hadn't seen her for over a month and a dramatic change had happened. Not only had Jessica been changed, she seemed distant and oddly alone.

They all headed back in silence and within a matter of minutes had paid their bill and headed out of the Hotel. They piled into their vehicles, Jessica in the back with Mia and Gunner if somewhat unwillingly was in the front with Hira.

Mia touched Jessica's arm gently, Jessica looked over to her and forced a smile. There was something there; Mia was sure, something Jessica was hiding.

"Tell me," Mia ordered, their friendship was based upon truths and right now it was falling apart at the seams.

But Jessica shook her head, "not now." She said coldly, her voice was clipped and icy and no matter what Mia did there was no way she could get in.

From the link they had created when they were children, Mia had always been able to sneak her way in. Not fully, just to the surface where all the emotions were based and now she felt nothing. Like the link had never existed.

Her hands wrangled around each other, her mind filling with so many possibilities.

* * *

It took them a while but they finally ended up somewhere. On the way, Jessica had pulled out her cell phone and had arranged call after call. After that they had all stopped by a riverbank and had thrown their Company cell phones into the river.

Mia's mood had only darkened; she knew the reason why they had to do this. So the Company wouldn't be able to track them. But cutting that last cord from the Company felt like a new wound and she knew this was all because of her.

Jessica had informed them all beside the riverbank while watching their last link to the only lives they knew sinking to the bottom. That they were all going to stay with her family, that they would be safe there for now.

No one had any effort to disagree and they had left their vehicles behind to hitch a lift to where they needed to be.

When Beni had first got her call, all he could do was agree and offer out a hand of help. But as they all piled in one by one, he could see his security getting touchy and feel his bewilderment grow.

Jessica had wandered in first; she had somewhat changed since their last meeting just over a week ago. More grace was in her step and a confidence that was almost scary. After that a young man in his mid twenties came in with an oriental look about him, he shook Beni's hand and introduced himself as Hira.

With that the others trailed in all looking Jessica's age. The first was a tall lean boy with dusty brown hair supporting a girl who just came to his shoulder. She seemed like one of those porcelain dolls, her hair was ash white and her skin unhealthily pale. Her steps were clumsy and slow while the boy's were confident and sure.

Jessica had introduced them as Mia and Gunner; Beni had merely nodded politely at them.

Six more entered after that, three girls and three boys. They all looked nonchalantly dangerous, all seemingly eyeing up their surrounding with interest.

They were all attractive and he looked over to his son Callum who stood by the doorway in amazement. He gave his son a quick shake of his head as a warning to keep a distance from all of them.

A girl came up to him with curves in all the right places and brown eyes that seemed to dance with curiosity and introduced herself as Cherry. Beni nodded, noting her name might have been because of her hair that shone a crimson red.

After that a young man with dark black hair and dark eyes introduced himself as Don and trailed after the redhead. Then there was the other young man with a lean build and quiet alluring violet eyes who was called Nic. Then a longhaired brunette with too much energy, she literally bounced over to him and told him to call her Lalia.

The last were a boy and girl that came to introduce themselves side by side. The first was Mike whose obsidian eyes seemed to encompass everything a young man's eyes shouldn't. A knowledge that was scary. The young woman with him called herself Zareh; she had deep copper hair and sombre brown eyes.

Beni let them all pass and make themselves comfortable in his own home that now he didn't even feel safe in anymore.

Rick had stood there in the sidelines, looking at his daughter interact with the others with his cold demeanour as usual. Fifteen years ago Beni wouldn't have believed this was possible. Jessica who was the apple of her Father's eye and now it seemed he couldn't be in the same room with her for too long.

Jessica pulled Beni aside, her eyes still keenly on her associates as they wandered their way into the main dining room.

"We won't be here long," Jessica informed him, her voice under a strangled constraint, "a day at most and then we'll be on our way."

"Jessica you don't have to run off like this again. I've been worried."

Jessica looked back at him with her placid green eyes that could always leave him speechless and she smiled sadly.

"This may be the last time I see you and Dad for a very long time Beni. So I need to get things tidied up, things settled.

"You going to sit him down and talk to him at last?"

Jessica shrugged, "if I can make him," she sighed, "but he's not the only one I have to talk to. There's going to be a lot of stuff going on Beni, but never doubt that I don't have your safety in mind. Because if anything merely looks like something might happen, we'll be out of here within seconds. You have some of America's best protectors in this house, so please don't look so worried."

Beni laughed, "I didn't think I did."

She patted him on the shoulder; "I'll show everyone to their rooms and speak to you later." With that she turned around and started to organise everyone around her. She spoke quickly to the man named Hira and directed everyone out of the room and up into the guest bedrooms.

Beni turned around and looked at Rick as he himself turned around and left the room. His wife Sheila came into the room and walked into his open embrace.

He felt the uneasiness eat away at his stomach and wished he were someone else with a normal life. But the instant he looked at his wife and son, he realised he was just deluding himself. Because if he did he wouldn't have this and the people around him, Jessica included.

* * *

"I need to talk to Mia alone," Jessica stated stiffly as Gunner helped Mia onto the bed.

Gunner had just nodded and followed Hira out of the room, closing the door behind him. Gunner had given up a long time ago trying to intrude on Mia and Jessica's friendship. As it held rules of its own that he would never understand.

"I want to say now, before this all starts and you find out. I never meant to let any of this happen and I did it for you. At the start anyway and then it twisted into a whole chaotic mess." Jessica shook her head, "but I have to tell you, because you have to be clued up enough for the next step."

"What step?"

Jessica closed her eyes and tried to explain, everything she couldn't tell the other. She told her everything and then seemed to stumble on the part with Avan.

"Avan is my soul mate and I know I promised I'd kill him for you. But I can't anymore and if I could I would, but I can't."

And the blow to Mia was like the fallout after a storm. A shocked pale expression rested on her features and a look of sure pain.

"Please don't hate me?" Jessica pleaded.

"But why tell me this?"

"Because I'm going to make this all better. I'm going to make you better again."

"How are you going to do that?" Mia's voice was drawn and tired; she stupidly felt betrayed yet knew none of this was Jessica's fault.

"A simple trade, Avan has the resources to make you better and keep the rest safe. I just need to give him something he wants."

"And what would that be?"

Jessica just looked away and shook her head. "Don't you worry." She got up and started to walk towards the door.

"Jessica! What is it?"

Jessica turned back around. "Nothing that you need to worry about, now sleep. You'll need your rest."

And with that she turned around and walked out. Leaving Mia with trepidation of doom, Jessica wasn't stupid but she could be blinded sometimes and nothing good could come of this.

With urgency Mia called for Gunner.

* * *

Jessica stepped into her Father's suite. It was nicely furnished like the rest of the house. She noted the photographs of herself as a child littered around and walked further in.

She found him by the fireplace with a glass of whiskey in his hand.

"What do you want?" His voice was dry with all the things best left unsaid.

Jessica's voice was equally so, "I don't know, comfort, love – isn't that what most Father's are meant to give?"

"Yes." His laugh was bitter and wrong to any daughter's ears, "love and comfort – do you know what they are anymore?"

Jessica had to laugh, not as bitter as her Father's. She should have known. Her Father had never been one of the strongest. "Surprisingly I do. I might be a killer, but of yet I'm not a heartless one."

"Jessica…"

And suddenly the strain just seemed too much and Jessica just shrugged and turned around.

"I've been so stupid for so long now," she confessed, her back facing him. "I thought having my family around me could somehow cure me of what I'd become. I never thought I'd understand Ryan's motives but things change. And I was wrong. You can't cure me – simply because there was never anything there to cure."

And she had continued to walk out of the room, leaving her Father with his alcohol and latent fears.

* * *

Hira caught her in the hallway, making her way out of the house.

"Gunner just jabbered some gibberish to me about you and making some deal. What the hell is going on?"

"Nothing," she dodged away from his grasp. "Just go in and make sure everyone's settled."

Hira laughed at her in surprise, "When have you ever ordered me about? Now tell me."

"Just keep out of it ok? I know what I'm doing."

"Like you knew what you were doing with Ryan?"

"That was different – now leave it out and go back to the others, I'll be back in a couple of hours"

Hira frowned and shook his head, "You better not do anything stupid!"

Jessica laughed and wove her way around him, "thanks for the encouragement."

And then left before anyone could say anything else.

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Jessica had tried to balance everything out in her head before she yet again bumped into her soul mate.

He could make Mia better, she wasn't sure of the fact. But he had made Mia what she was like today and in those actions, should at least have the knowledge of how to turn her back.

He also had the resources to keep her friends safe, because no matter how much she cared about them. In the end they were going to run out of places to hide. Avan could simply make them disappear.

She knocked at the door and one of the guards opened it, his burly frame diminished most of the light piercing through from within. But within an instance he recognised who she was and nodded at her and let her pass.

Jessica could only guess that the guard had rung up to Avan's office to inform him of her arrival. Because as she approached; a group of night worlders opened his office door and left, each nodding respectfully her way.

Avan smiled at her as she made her way into the room and all Jessica could so was reluctantly nod, she hated him.

"Back so soon?"

She resisted the urge to pick up the nearest object and ram it into his face. Instead she sat on the other side of his desk and placed her hands neatly upon each other.

"I've come to make a deal." She told him coldly.

"Really and why would you think any of this would interest me?"

"Because I can give you what you want."

Avan's gaze flung over her with contempt, "and what would that be?"

"Control."

His face lost all expression, "go on."

"A simple trade, you keep my friends safe and give Mia her sanity back."

He smiled at her and there was no warmth in it, "what do I get?"

"Me," she simply replied, "you get control. You can tell me what to do. To an extent," she added, "and I will stay within your boundaries. As long as Mia is sane and my friends are alive."

"Why do you think I would accept such a ludicrous offer?"

But Jessica could see it in his eyes, Avan was intrigued.

"Because you hate not having control. Not knowing where I am and how I might be endangering my life and yours in return. Even if I wasn't your soul mate," she said that part just above a whisper, "I'm a trained assassin, why wouldn't you want someone like me within your team?"

"It is interesting. But I would have to think about it."

Jessica got up and stretched her muscles. "You have until dawn," she informed him. "After that we're moving on, their safety comes first."

And without waiting for his answer, she left the room.

* * *

The call came some time just after three in the morning, one of Beni's security had knocked on her door and told her that he had been informed that it was of the most importance.

Jessica had answered it in a cold decided voice; Avan informed her that the deal was on and that her colleagues and herself needed to be in his office by nine o'clock that morning.

She had put down the phone, her emotions numbed. She had just signed her life away for her friends, but instead of relief, she just felt dread.

She stumbled back into a chair and felt her legs give way. She knew, her heart was telling her that she was doing the right thing. It was just the other nagging voices in her head that were disagreeing.

This thing could be for life, for as long as the Company still ran. Her friends would always been in trouble and she would have to obey him.

She felt the nausea spread through her, she quickly swallowed it down as she heard footsteps closing in.

Jessica turned around at the calling of her name and found a bare footed Hira in jeans and an open shirt looking at her uncharacteristically anxious.

She smirked at him, pushing the feelings down as far as possible, "Up late aren't we?"

He ignored her words and took a couple of steps closer to her, closing the gap between them, "so?"

"The deal's on, we head to Sequoia's house tomorrow and he'll put you into hiding, all of you."

"Except you," he stated, he already knew the truth, she could see it in his dark eyes.

"It was in the deal, you lot are safe and Mia is cured and I work for Sequoia," she purposely left the control part out.

"You mean Avan Sequoia, the man who started all this."

She tried not to react, "It's the only way."

"No, it wasn't. But now is. I always knew who he was. I think you should know that, all through the rescue and Mia's anguish. I knew who she was talking about yet did nothing."

She looked at him shocked; Hira had always been a step ahead of the rest. A lot of them thought it was because of his previous experience in the Company. He had been around a lot longer than the rest. But Jessica knew the truth; Hira had always worked on survival tactics. While the others worked from orders.

"And you did nothing?"

He looked at her coldly, "nothing. " He confirmed, "The reason? Maybe because he's centuries older then me and could have beaten me to a pulp within an instance. I did what was necessary; you did everything out of anger. Why do you think you have ended up here?"

"You seem to be here as well."

"Out of choice, you have wound yourself up in knots up to this point. Do you seriously know what you are doing?"

"No, but I'm not you and I never will be, what I have done is because I care about everyone enough to try something. What did you do?"

"I brought everyone together."

"Together for what? This?"

"We all stand together and will all eventually fall together." He came to her side and softly kissed her on the cheek, "your sacrifice will not be forgotten."

She suddenly felt like a soldier being sent to the front line.

"Don't tell the others."

He turned around before he headed back upstairs. "I'll leave that up to."

She nodded and turned her back to him and heard his footsteps fall into the distance.

* * *

Jessica felt that maybe she should have said some goodbyes before heading out of Beni's. Her Father's figure loomed in the shadow and as she hugged Beni, Sheila and Callum goodbye. She stepped back from them and looked up to her Father.

He sullenly looked down.

Jessica turned to her Uncle, "Beni, tell him that was his last chance and there will never be any others." She kissed Beni on the cheek, knowing the next time she saw him. It wouldn't be her that he was really seeing, just someone else that Avan controlled.

They all sat sullenly in the car. Hira had called a taxi and a people carrier had arrived promptly. Yet the mood was surly and dry. They all knew and the sacrifice Jessica was making was bitter to swallow.

The drive was in silence and Hira paid the man off once they arrived at the gates. She stared back at them, memorising their faces and expressions before she lost them all to the big wide world.

They all stared helplessly back. For the first time in their lives, they had no one to report to. No one to order them about and instead of feeling freedom, they felt petrified.

She nodded at them in decision, "let's go."

Jessica turned her back on them and led the way.

As she walked closer and closer, her headache was getting worse. She put it down to mere stress. Once this was over she would make sure she got time on her own and just sit in silence and let it all wash over her.

The door was opened even before they neared it and all Jessica could do was hold her head up high, she quickly looked back to spy Mia hand in hand with Gunner. She didn't know how Avan was going to manage Mia's cure but knew that it would be nothing but simple if Gunner found out that it was Avan who did it to her in the first place.

Avan was waiting for them in the main hall and even though Mia's face hadn't changed expression, Jessica was sure her frame had somehow gotten smaller as if she was trying to disappear.

Avan nodded at Jessica as she walked in, a few seconds later everyone else was in as well.

Eli walked out from a side room and shook Jessica's hand in welcome. "Avan's agreed upon all your terms, Mia will be cured to as much of his knowledge and then he will send them off to an enclave with some off his best men."

Jessica nodded, "so where does Mia go now."

Avan turned around, he had been talking softly to some of the people wandering in and out of the hall, the place teamed with activity. "Mia and yourself come with me. We'll need privacy and then I can concentrate. The others can be taken to some private rooms and briefed about their upcoming journey."

Jessica turned around to Mia and reached out her hand, Mia reluctantly let go of Gunner's and latched herself on to Jessica's. Jessica patted her hand and whispered comfort to her friend. "I will not let him hurt you I promise."

Mia meekly nodded and they both started following Avan as he made his way out of the hall.

Eli ushered the others into the back hall and told them to politely wait. He made sure there were enough people on guard and went along with his daily business.

* * *

Mia looked around the room meekly; she had never been in these circumstances before and even with the promise of all of the ghosts vanishing. Her heart seemed to be breaking.

She could handle living without the rest, but one had been her crutch these past few weeks and seeing him go. Well Mia didn't want to try that thought out. She had lost the chance to be with her soul mate in life and even now that she was being offered life.

If would mean losing him for the rest of her life time.

Jessica looked back at her friend and Mia tried to smile. She was going to gain but lose so much here. Jessica had changed, not only with what she had been made into but with who she was.

The light had disappeared from her eyes; she had become a shadow of her former self. Someone who just going through the motions.

"Sit down," Avan ordered from his position on the other side of the room.

Mia just mutely obeyed. The thought of him somehow being connected to Jessica still made her skin crawl. The man was a virus.

"You over there, Jessica," he yet again ordered.

He sat down in front of Mia, his eyes an unnerving blue that she was sure could see right through her.

"Now," he told her coldly, "we'll find out what went wrong in that head of yours and then I'm going to correct it. Is that ok?"

Mia merely nodded and looked around him to Jessica, whose eagle eyes were honed onto the pair.

Avan smiled at her, but not nicely. He had caught her look, "Jessica is here for your benefit and will not interfere. I take that it is understood. Now let's begin."

He reached out to her and Mia flinched back. Avan looked at her patiently, his eyes not giving away a thing.

"I need physical contact to start up the telepathic link. Are you going to allow me to do this?"

Mia nodded again and sat rigid in her chair.

"Good," and with that Avan reached forward and placed his hand at the side of her head and with that they both fell into the abyss of Mia's mind.

Jessica fidgeted in her chair and leaned over to see both of them motionless, their eyes closed.

Jessica just sighed and tried to make herself comfortable.

Avan's laughter echoed as he swung around. "I see we have company."

The dead crowded Mia's mind like a horde of bees, buzzing with the undercurrent of activity, their whispers echoed their anger.

Avan sighed and turned around to face Mia.

Mia was standing strong, a less daunting shadow clung behind her, "why are you doing this?"

Avan blinked at her as if not understanding the question and then sighed and turned around.

"I made a deal, as you've probably heard. Any other useless information you want to know?"

"After we're all gone, will you look after Jessica?"

He turned back around to her, his face revealing nothing, "what do you think?"

"I don't know, you're capable of so many things, but she told me what you two have and even with that knowledge I'm still not sure."

Avan's raised his eyebrows at her in question and then smiled. "Not that I don't like this little conversation, but I have a quota to keep to – now lets see what we can do."

He turned his back on her and looked around at the rest of the ghosts lining the walls; he shook his head, "why didn't you do anything about this?"

"I tried," she answered feebly, "I just didn't know where to start."

A laugh choked in his throat like her answer wasn't good enough and walked away from her, keeping her distance, Mia followed him.

The ghosts' circle around them drew nearer and Mia inhaled sharply. Avan looked absently behind him, "ignore them," he muttered, "they can't do anything."

Even with his words though, Mia didn't feel comforted.

"Ahh!" Avan exclaimed, "Found it," he turned around to her. "I'm going to borrow some of your magic," he saw the look on her face and smirked, "don't worry it's unlikely I can do any harm to you with it."

And with that turned back around, "It'll take me a few minutes to figure out exactly how I'm going to close this. So while I'm doing it you can say goodbye to that spirit that has shadowed you so faithfully."

And like Mia had expected, Avan hadn't missed a beat.

She walked away, just far enough so Avan was out of listening distance. She looked at him, the boy she never really got to know and the translucent bodies of the others around her that vanished into the darkness beyond them.

"So this is it." She said to him; she had tried not to talk to him for days. Hoping that if she ignored the phantoms that haunted her, that they would finally leave her alone. Of course it hadn't worked.

He looked back at her, his eyes a mournful cavern, he nodded, "yes," his voice echoed.

"I don't know what I'll do."

He smiled at her. "Yes you do, you'll live."

"But without you," she wanted him to tell her that it wouldn't be true. That he would be able to come back somehow.

"Without me," he confirmed, "maybe in our next lifetime hey?" his smile was hopeful and he wiped away the tears from her face. "Now be a good girl and be happy."

She nodded to him and flinched as a crackling noise jumped into life behind her, she turned around to see what it was.

"This is it," her ghost whispered behind her, "I'll miss you."

Mia swung around to him but he had melded back into the crowd of the dead around her. So all she could do was to go back up to Avan.

He had somehow mastered a startling portal in the corner. And with some effort was controlling it, sweat was beading down from his forehead.

"That all over and done with?" he looked back at her and shrugged, "I guess that was a yes, so lets get this going then – duck." He added.

"What?"

"You know, duck, bend over. Make sure that you're not sucked in!"

She quickly got the hint and crouched down behind him.

"Now let the fun begin," Avan whispered. And with that the room behind them seemed to swirl around in a whirlwind, the dead screaming a million curses as they swung around and around.

Avan's head went around and around, the room following the same motion. Avan stilled and with a deep breath gained his balance. He shook his head and took another deep breath and with a motion of his arm the portal opened wider and the dead streamed into it. Each screaming their protests as they were pulled in.

The line seemed endless but finally the room was silent and the portal empty. With a few motions Avan closed the portal and turned around and looked down at Mia.

"All done," he said tiredly, "let's get out of here."

And with those words Mia opened her eyes to a bright room and Avan moving back from her. He seemed to get up with some effort and looked behind him to Jessica.

"Half of the deal has been completed, you ready for the rest?"

* * *


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Jessica wanted to say no, but she stayed silent and nodded to him.

She was on automatic pilot now and she followed him obediently out of the room. With a much more relaxed Mia trailing in between them, giving Jessica a concerned look when ever she could.

Jessica just felt numb and knew she was walking into the unknown, like a faithful soldier marching into the abyss of hell. She didn't want to do this, but she felt obliged to. So like everything else in her existence; yet again she was putting her life into someone else's hands.

And with it she almost felt reality slip away.

Because things like this should never happen. People with normal lives didn't go through these types of things. She stifled a sigh and shook her head, whenever had anything ever been normal and whose perspective of normal was she viewing it from?

But she would just have to handle it, like everything else she did in her life. They entered the room with the others; Eli had his back to them, talking to the group in a low voice.

They all stopped when they entered and Mia went straight to Gunner with a beaming smile on her face. Jessica simply looked away, she was happy but even with that couldn't handle seeing what she was about to lose.

She turned to Avan, "so when do they leave. I don't want the Company catching up."

Avan looked at her and nodded to Eli, "Eli will explain it all later. When you have said your goodbyes and they have left. Come to my office."

And with his curt words he walked out of the room. Jessica wasn't surprised; she didn't expect anything from him.

She looked back at the people she was going to lose and they all stared in mutual silence. They were no longer what they thought they were; they had always had a secret motto of never leaving a person behind.

And in exchange for that one moral, they could be given freedom.

Jessica faked a smile and shrugged as if it wasn't the end of the world. "So this is it?"

They all nodded, if they had a choice, a reasonable chance they would never have allowed this to happen. Jessica knew this, but it didn't make it any better.

"Come on, give me hugs and then you have to go!"

She kept the tears out of her voice. They all lined up like old soldiers heading out for the last time. Each one held on for that moment longer, one after another closing their eyes and wishing themselves back to years ago.

After their last known contact with the one they would have to leave behind, they all left the room one by one. Unusually Gunner was the last; he had lingered near the back waiting for his chance.

"Hello Rabbit," he whispered as his arms came around her, her head rested against his shoulder. "Remember when we danced at the Company ball for three hours straight without looking up?"

She nodded, her and Gunner had dated for a few weeks when they had been mere recruits and filled with lust and misadventure. They had eventually agreed to be apart as the tension between their own friends was clearly visible. But in private, in silent moments they still reminisced.

"You were the first person I ever loved," he laughed, "well, lusted. I can take your place," his voice was low when he whispered this offer. Eli was still on the other side of the room.

Jessica shook her head, "it's too late and you know it would always be no. Mia needs you; you have to keep her strong."

"You could do that easily," his hand came up and stroked away some of her hair, "Jessica Rabbit, I'll miss you too much."

She smiled at his secret pet name for her. Gunner had been her one secret love, something even Ryan had never known about, but keeping that secret hadn't been difficult. They had been sixteen and adventurous and maybe a bit too naive.

Jessica had lost the only thing left to her by the Company to Gunner in a shabby motel room not three miles away from the Company grounds. Thinking of that moment still made her blush; Gunner pulled back and looked at her seriously.

"I mean it, I've made so many mistakes over these last few months and I don't want another person I care for to end up being hurt."

"I am a survivor," Jessica assured him, "you know that and something like this. It'll be like a nine to five. Just as long as I know you're safe."

Gunner leant forward and kissed her on the forehead. "If anyone picks on you, I can beat them up."

"I think I'm quite apt at that thank you. Now, go on," her voice wobbled then, "go join the others."

He hesitated.

"Now," she spat and quickly turned away before the tears fell, she felt a soft touch on her shoulder and then it was gone and she was alone.

She could hear Eli's footsteps trail after Gunner's. That was when the tears fell and suddenly she felt she was being reverted to that six year old Jessica again, watching in tears as the police took her Daddy away.

She wiped them away, took a deep breath and climbed the suddenly steep staircase to Avan's office.

* * *

She waited in his office suite, this was the place that Avan would keep all his business contacts waiting while sweetening them up with the personal caterer in the corner ready to serve or cook anything.

None of that was here today. Jessica sat there; her legs inelegantly spread out straight, unbend in front of her. Her hands rested on her lap facing upwards and her head bent down looking upon them.

So much had transpired in these few weeks, but within these last few days she had resisted to take in what really had been happening and what Avan had turned her into.

She traced each line in her hand with her eyes, around the whirling crevices in her fingertips. Every detail glimmered in front of her and every beat of Avan's heart pounded in her head.

She looked up at him as he stood over her.

"Now don't you look happy?"

She restrained herself from answering, but instead stood up and took a step back so the spacing between them sufficed so she wouldn't have to be too close.

"So," his eyes lit up with something Jessica would in any other person compare with jest. But Avan wasn't any other, "I guess you want to know the full details of this little deal you've entrapped yourself in."

He didn't wait for a reply but headed back into his office, Jessica obediently followed. He sat down behind his imposing oak desk and motioned her to sit. She ignored him and stayed standing behind the chairs.

"You'll be joining my black ops team. They can range from basic information gathering to discreetly getting rid of anyone I want. You will be answering to Zach Aspen, I discussed this with him this morning and with your explicit experience he's hoping that he can look to you for new ideas."

"How am I going to explain this to the Company?"

"You don't have to." Avan flicked through some files on his desk and threw a thick document over to her side. Jessica took a step forward to scan it and noticed her name between the articles.

A smirk appeared on Avan's face, "I bought you this morning."

Jessica's face fell.

"Not that it was particularly difficult at all. That Company of yours seems to be in a bit of a crisis. A whole bunch of their assassins go AWOL and whispered of insurrection within the Company itself leaking out, what else could they do?"

She swallowed down every bit of emotion she was feeling, "How?"

"I offered a lot of money, a lot more than they could possible deny. A lot more than a lot of my compatriots here think you are worth. But they don't know the whole story do they?"

"So the deal wasn't enough? Now you own me?"

Avan leant back in his chair, "Since that night you tried to kill me and that oh so compromising link, I have since owned you. First your soul and now in body, isn't this all just grand?"

Jessica turned away, her eyes instinctually going to the antique vase next to her. Within seconds, it was off the shelf and slammed into the wall next to Avan's head.

He didn't batter an eye lid, the office door opened behind her and Eli rushed in.

Avan laughed, "So I'll take it, that you're not pleased."

Eli cleared his voice, "is everything ok here?"

Avan looked back at his friend, "Shouldn't it be?" he didn't wait for a reply, "can you please escort Jessica to her room and make sure she feeds, she seems to be going a lighter shade of pale. And go see Zach and arrange a meeting for him and Jessica tomorrow."

Eli nodded. "Come on Jessica," he motioned and made sure she walked in front of him as they left the room.

As the door closed, she distinctly heard Avan's voice in the background call out.

"Have fun now," he voice beckoned in ridicule.

* * *

Zach was leanly built, had a distinct scar running down his left cheek and a mischievous glint to his eyes. Jessica stood in the doorway as Eli led the way and watched them converse with each other.

He had a soft Texan accent and sounded as if he belonged herding cattle, but as Jessica knew, looks were deceiving.

"So this is our superstar hey, now don't she look happy?"

Jessica looked at him dourly; she'd had a bad week. She had lost her friends, gone into servitude and then been sold by the one place she thought she could trust. In retrospect, things couldn't really get worse.

"Now no jesting ok," Eli said turning to Zach, "she might accidentally hurt you," he smiled and left Jessica in the room with her new squad leader.

"Ok," Zach looked at her intrigued for a moment and then turned around and sat down on one of the small couches that littered the room. "So I guess I should lay down some ground rules. Every kill has to be either authorised by me or Avan, so no killing people mindlessly on your own ok? In life or death situations, we expect quick snap decisions to be made and we trust that you would fulfil what has been laid out for you."

"If you don't like anybody tell me," he continued. "And with that I'll do everything in my power to fix the situation."

With those words Jessica put her hand up in question.

"Yes?"

"I don't like Avan, what can you do about that?"

Zach grinned at her and lounged back in his chair, "Ok, maybe not everybody I can help. But Avan chose you to be in this team for a reason and putting your personal hatred for each other aside for a moment, I think with your background you can be a great asset towards my team."

"I'll work," Jessica assured him, "but I don't want to be here, I just want to tell you that so we start out with full understanding of each other. I'll obey, kill what should be killed and even try to be nice to some people. But I'll never cover up that one fact."

"Ok," a smiled beamed across Zach's face, "fully understood." He paused for a second. "I just want to know why out of all the people out there that would die to have this job. Avan chose you to do it, someone that obviously hates him and isn't even afraid like many other people would to show it."

She just shrugged, "He has an assurance that I'll do as I'm told."

A questioning look quivered on Zach's face.

"He owns me," Jessica continued, "He has a nice little contract from my former employer saying exactly that. I don't back out of a contract, even if it wasn't me who signed it."

Zach stood up and made his way to the door, "I don't envy you at all," he muttered, "the others are downstairs and would like to meet you. I'll keep this little conversation between us. Rumours can turn bitter here, especially with it concerning the boss. Come on."

Jessica followed him down the winding corridors and through large halls. And past the wing she was staying in.

Her quarters had been placed so she was in Avan's private wing; Avan had told her that this was because of his peace of mind and nothing else. To everybody else he had said it was for his own protection having one of his own black ops near him, helped him with his ever so frequent murder attempts.

In the bottom of her stomach, Jessica felt mild glee. At least she wasn't the only person out there wanting to kill him. But no matter how much she fantasised about his death, she knew the risks and now was interested in his wellbeing like her own.

They ended up many floors down in the basement; the place was well lit and spacious. There were four other people in the room and they all stood up when she entered.

She could trace mild anxiousness along their limps as fists clenched and arms were crossed.

There were five men in that room including Zach and as usually in male populated business. Jessica used her only advantage over them and that was her amazing ability to be able to freak them out.

Her eyes gleamed as she saw her katana lay on the table that was positioned against the wall.

"Ahh," Zach exclaimed, as she drew near her beloved weapon. "Eli gave that to me last night, saying that Avan said that now you'll definitely behave, you can have it back."

"It's appreciated," she replied as she unsheathed her weapon half way and examined the blade. After a couple of seconds she sharply sheathed it again and turned back to the rest with a beaming smile.

"Oh, how rude of me," she voiced dryly, "my name is Jessica and what a pleasure it is to meet you all."

They all nodded at her, distrust glinted in their eyes. One by one they came up and introduced themselves.

"Its Bern," the first one came out with, he was a tall fellow with dark brown hair and dark eyes. He had the complexion of someone who was constantly out in the sun and knew the tribulations of hard work. When she shook his hand, they were hard and calloused. "I'm the brute," he supplied.

The seconds announced himself as Thornton and gave her a flashing smile. "Any time you need anyone to warm your sweet bed…" he attempted.

She smiled back, "I'll be sure not to call you."

He wasn't at all insulted and shrugged away her retort. "I do the explosives," his voice was filled with charm and he winked at her before he sat him self back down.

Then there was Dominic, who simply supplied his name, gave her a sullen look, then shook her hand and then turned away to sit back down.

Sol was more accommodating and gave her a half hug, half manly back pat and beamed at her, "charmed to meet you," and with that he sat himself down at well.

"My name is Conrad," this one had skin of ebony and eyes that any deserving woman could drown in. His voice was like sex, canned and sold to the public.

Jessica blandly smiled at him. They were all nightworld and all had their tricks in enticing their prey, this one was probably just one of many for Conrad.

But now Jessica had to remember that she was one of them, but even before that she'd had many tricks of her own. That was one of the many reason why other assassins were intimidated by her kind, the ones trained by the Company.

If you get them young and focused enough, you could train anyone to do anything. Even be one of the world's best killers.

Zach motioned them to all sit down, they gathered themselves around a black narrow table, pulling up wooden chairs that had been collapsed and had been leaning against the wall.

"Now that everyone is acquainted, I would like to get to our next assignment…"

The day drew on relentlessly and Jessica sat back and listened with mild apathy. She would do what they told her to do and live her life the way Avan wanted her to.

But she knew already that this was all her life would ever be. She would put on the show, but there would always be Avan in the background pulling the strings.

* * *


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Eli turned to Avan in what could only be called anxiousness.

"Why are you doing this?"

Avan laughed at his friend and sat down, Eli had invited himself into Avan's private suite and because of their long friendship, like everything else. Avan had let it slide.

"Doing what, I might ask."

"Don't act coy. You know that I mean Jessica. You just bought her freedom, given her friends an enclave and you've left her to believe that you're some ogre who has procured her life and keeping her more or less imprisoned!"

"I'm only giving her what she wants Eli. She hates me and I don't want it any other way. This way at least there are no dangers, if anything happens to me; she can be guilt free and not be bound to some soon to be discredited Company."

"Why are you basing this on yourself Avan? She is not you and the same thing won't happen. How long ago was it since Crystal? Centuries have past and you still haven't forgiven yourself."

"And neither has Zeke I might add. Jessica was going out with him, if anything happened, he'd yet again blame me for taking someone away from him. He's my brother; I can't do it to him again."

"So you're doing this for you relationship with Zeke then?"

"Maybe I am, but why all the questions?"

"Because Zeke is scouring half of LA at the moment, searching for his oh so tragic girlfriend who disappeared a couple of weeks ago. So from the sounds of it, from Zeke's point of view they never actually split up and from my calculations, she went missing around the time you changed her. So do you want to be the one who tells him or do you want me to?"

Avan's face lay unchanged; instead Eli watched his friend's eyes that played their own scene. Shock mingled in with concern, Avan now had to reshape his plans.

"Jessica has her first assignment tonight; leave it until tomorrow until you ring Zeke. Give him some excuse that he can't see her until the next day and I'll arrange it so they can be alone."

"What will you do if they decide to try at things again?"

Avan shrugged, "what do you think? I'll step back."

"She's your soul mate Avan!"

"You're saying that like it should matter. I've become quite apt at shutting her out; I've lived this long without her, why should she matter now?"

"You know what; I should have given up after the first sentence. I know I'll never win an argument with you. I'll give it a day and ring him. I do hope you know what you're doing."

Avan laughed, "I'd rather call it a discussion and I do know. Now go away, I have a successful business to run and you have minions to organise." With a rueful smile, Avan got up and picked up his phone and started to dial.

Taking his cue, Eli headed to the door. Hoping that Avan had calculated everything correctly, because if Jessica did decide to get back with Zeke. Eli would do everything in his power to split them up, all discreetly of course.

They always said that blood was thicker than water, but friendship added a whole new level to it and Eli would make sure that his friend wouldn't be hurt for the second time.

* * *

Jessica leant her head back against the headboard on her bed, each day had passed with an excruciating slowness and now at the end of her third day here, Jessica let out a long sigh.

The assignment had been an easy one, a hit on one person; she didn't understand why so many people were sent to do it. The whole process seemed rash and inefficient, but Jessica had been mute and followed the rest with cold disinterest.

She was cold all over, like her feelings had been wound so tight that they had eventually fallen away from each other, leaving the threads to fall dispassionately to the floor.

She snatched one of the pillows from beside her and pushed it against her face, hoping that she could smother herself.

"That looks fun."

She kept the pillow there, "so much you wouldn't believe it," her now muffled voice, replied back.

Avan's own floated around her, teasing her somehow. "I will be in need of your presence tomorrow; I expect to see you in my office at 1 o'clock."

She lowered the pillow, her forest eyes peering over the plush material, "Why?"

He stood there, his form still. His own blue eyes mimicking Zeke's but so much more coldly, he leaned against the wall next to the door, uncharacteristically relaxed.

"Why would I need to explain myself? I want you there."

Jessica rolled her eyes and replaced the pillow, "fine," she shouted through it.

She didn't see Avan's soft smile or the way he lingered longer than he should have, all she heard was him shut the door behind him and his footsteps down the hallway.

She let out another sigh and dived, head first under the blankets.

* * *

It had been well over twenty years since Tristan had stepped inside the Company's headquarters. The place had unsurprisingly gone much more high tech, security lined the entrance and hand and iris identification was needed.

All of his identification had been supplied to the Company from his home, he had read all the reports and had thrown each aside with as much disinterest as the last.

The guard stood back in shock as his name came up on the display with an archaic photo of himself next to his profile.

"Sir, sir…" he stuttered, "I'll inform the board instantly…"

Tristan grabbed the young man's arm and pulled him away from the internal phone. "Best not," he recommended in his well practised voice, "this is a surprise visit, I want them to not know I'm here until I've assessed how everything looks beforehand." He smiled at the guard, "I seem to find that I find out more about my Company if the information isn't spoon fed to me."

The guard relaxed, "yes sir, I understand." He stood back and let Tristan drive his way through, if it had been any other day, Tristan would have reprimanded the young man who not inquiring who the woman was who sat next to him in the passenger seat.

Elizabeth turned around to him and smiled. But this wasn't any other day, this was the day he was going to take down his Company from the inside. He sighed to himself as he parked the car, he had never felt as old as he did today and never more responsible for so many lives than he ever did before.

* * *

At five minutes to one, Jessica turned up promptly at Avan's office. The place was unnaturally quiet and chill. Avan had seated himself in one of the sofas placed against the wall.

"So what do you want?" Jessica never played with pretences.

"I don't think you would believe me if I said that it was your company."

Jessica ignored him and propped her self against the wall, "I'm not sure, was me giving you my company part of the contract you signed, when you brought me?"

Avan chuckled, "I'm not sure, I'll have to get Eli to look over it for me and start putting book notes in it, maybe even an index for quick reference."

Jessica controlled her self and sat down at the furthest edge of the sofa from him. "So have I missed all the fun?"

And at that the door next to her opened and Eli headed into the office, Jessica casually smiled at him. She was beginning to like Eli; he was someone she could talk to without any suspicion.

And then Zeke walked in after him.

Jessica stood up instantaneously, her eyes going a glassy green that deflected any lingering warmth.

And while they both stared at each other in mute shock, Avan and Eli made their way out of the office.

They shut the door behind them.

"Jessica…"

Zeke's voice was soft and there was a desperate pleading in his eyes.

"No," she spat back. Not now, not ever. She wasn't going to let this happen, especially when orchestrated by Avan.

"Go away Zeke," she shouted at him as she headed for the door, but Zeke's hand was on it before she could pull it open.

"Jessica I want to know why you left me. Why you could just disappear."

She turned slowly around. "As you must have failed to have noticed, I have somehow misplaced my humanity and gained some blood sucking habits." Her voice was dry, so contrary to the softness that had been there for him but a few weeks ago.

He blinked and stepped back, "I noticed."

"Then you would have taken in the point that if I had needed you at all through my transition, I would have called you. I didn't Zeke and I don't. Leave me alone and get a long with your gallant life with Day Break, you've wasted enough time."

"But I love you Jessica."

And her heart of stone sank to the floor and shattered, "But I don't," her voice was strong but her knees were weak and with a new anger, she swung back around and stormed out of the room.

She found Avan in his personal suite; Eli was sat by the window commenting on the security in his normal sharp manner.

"You bastard!"

The door slammed behind her and Eli jumped to his feet as she ran towards Avan.

But before any of them could do anything, Avan was on his feet and had pinned Jessica against the wall. Her anger clouding her of any reacting thoughts, Avan's voice snapped.

"Eli, leave!"

Within seconds the door was opened and slammed closed.

Avan's face was level with hers, "now please tell me what your little problem is."

She struggled against his grip, within seconds she realised the futility of it and leant back against the wall.

"What made you think that inviting Zeke here was a good idea?"

"He's my brother," Avan said calmly, stating the obvious. "Our relationship isn't the best but we still do grudgingly speak. He's been looking for you, from the sounds of it you two are still in a relationship."

"That ended weeks ago," her voice snapped with the tension lying underneath, "he just failed to notice."

"I thought I was the one with the heart of ice."

"You are. It's just that I've had to reshape my life ever since you got your mangled hands on it."

"Such sweet words from your mouth, I'm not an ogre Jessica. I know what I've taken from you; I thought you having Zeke back could make it better."

"I'm not Zeke's though am I, because we both know he couldn't afford the price range on that contract?"

And something snapped in Avan's eyes and within a heartbeat, he had flung Jessica to the other side of the room, her back snapping against on the front of one of the chairs beside the window.

"Do you really think I have gone through all this trouble just so I can have a piece of paper with your name on it, stating I claim you? I never needed that; the Company are in enough in fear of me anyway, if I had held you here, they wouldn't have taken any action to stop me."

"Then why?"

He turned his back on her and withdrew a key from his pocket and opened one of the drawers in his desk. She recognised the hefty contract he pulled out, he threw it over to her.

She winced as the weight of it landed in her lap.

The first words were easy. It was a decreed document of ownership, she read further down. She scanned it, flicked through pages until she found what she needed.

'… As decreed by ASG and by agreement by Avan Sequoia. The amount previously stated has been put down as loss of earnings for the Company…'

She scanned through the rest.

'… As from the date of the signatures found on this document, it has been agreed by all parties. That Jessica Thomson has been freed by any duties to the fore mentioned Company and thus no longer has obligations…'

Jessica looked up in shock.

"I didn't buy you," his voice was calm now, but the anger still resided along the edges, "I set you free, you're just so busy hating me. That you failed to notice the small print."

"You could have said. Sat me down and told me."

"Would it have made a difference? You would have hated me either way, just like you do now. I'm your monster remember, the one you wish would disappear, the one you dislike so. Not the one that saves you from fraudulent Companies. If you would have asked for your friends' assurance of safety before your little deal, I would have helped. Even sent you with them, because at least that way I would have been ensured of your safety; but now it's just a bit too late isn't it?"

And within those moments, Jessica's world had shattered. Her hate for him was left in a deformed mess of confusion and all she could do was stare.

"You decided upon who I was even before you got to know me, only leading us here. So where does it leave us now?"

"Me not being here," Jessica spat as she stalked out of the room.

* * *

The first port of call for Tristan was his old office – the place had an air of importance to it even though it was never used. The Computers were always updated when ever a new model would come out but the place felt empty and cold, like some archaic museum.

Tristan hacked his way into the systems and gained Elizabeth access to all the crucial departments – Tristan paused though, was it really hacking when he had unlimited access anyway?

Elizabeth placed the bag on her shoulder and kissed Tristan on the cheek, hoping this wasn't the last time they would see each other.

"Give me an hour," he smiled as she left the room.

He had already gone through the blue prints with her, pointing out the best spots to place the explosives. Once outside the alarms would be tripped, warning the innocents while Tristan trapped the Board of the Directors in the hell fire where they belonged.

Thinking it out like that made it all seem so simple.

But Tristan had lived far too long to have realised nothing ever was.

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Zach found Avan in his office, Avan's face sullen as he stared absently out of the window.

As Zach closed the door behind him, Avan withdrew his eyes from his musing and turned them to Zach.

Zach went straight to the point, "Where's Jessica?"

Avan shrugged, "What do I look like? Her keeper or something?"

Puzzlement played over Zach's face, "I'd say her employer, my lads are saying that she's taken some stuff and gone AWOL."

"Tell your 'lads' to keep their mouths closed and their minds on the job. I don't pay them to gossip."

"Yeah, well what can I say? Do you at least know if she's planning to come back?"

Avan turned back to the window, "Concerning Jessica, it's obvious that I don't know a thing."

Zach felt something poignant had just been said, but stood there baffled for a few seconds before he got himself together and left the room as quick as he could.

* * *

Jessica had gone to the first place she could think of. Beni's place wasn't an option anymore, she had to get out of the city and away, just as far away from Avan as possible.

Matilda had found Jessica on the front doorstep. Her knee's drawn to her chest as she stared blankly at the empty road that joined the end of the front garden.

"Jessica?" Matilda went around and knelt in front of her. Tears slid silently down Jessica's face. "Jessica, what's wrong?"

Jessica sniffed and looked up at her, "far too much," she shook her head and more tears fell, "I don't want to be me anymore."

Concern etched across Matilda's face as she helped Jessica up and led her into the kitchen, she placed a steaming fruit tea in front of Jessica and coached some words from her.

Eventually, all the words fell and Jessica confessed. She had been drawn much deeper into a world she thought she knew, just to find out that she didn't.

"So this Avan, he is your soul mate?"

Jessica nodded. "But I don't love him, but well. I guess I don't hate him anymore either. But even like is too strong of a word at the moment."

"Lets use the word dislike. Do you have any idea what you're going to do?"

Jessica shook her head.

"No worries," Matilda soothed, "you can stay her until everything blows over. Trey and Millie will be ecstatic to see you."

"Everything has changed though," Jessica muttered, "me most of all."

Matilda looked at Jessica with sad eyes, "that's the way life works my child. Nothing comes without leaps and hurdles."

Jessica tried to be comforted by her words but failed, "but this is different. I can never go back."

Matilda stifled a sigh, "none of us can," she admitted, "All you can do is look forward," she patted Jessica's trembling hand with affection.

Jessica's head came up as she heard a key twisting in the front door. She leapt up, her head swinging around for a way to escape, how could she face her friends after what she had changed into?

Matilda gently gripped Jessica's arm, "Calm down, no one is going to judge you."

She could hear Trey walking down the hallway; even smell the scents clinging to him from outside.

"Matilda," he called from the hall way, "you would never guess what…"

His words stilled as he came through the kitchen door way, "Jessica?" his eyes scanned her and his face filled up with confusion. He took a step towards her and actually sniffed at her.

He took a cautionary step back, "who did this?" Trey knew Jessica's stance of changing over and even if he didn't her defensive, yet strangely vulnerable stance would have told him.

Uncharacteristically Jessica's eyes brimmed with tears and she pushed past him and rushed towards the back door and ran into the garden.

Trey looked questionably at Matilda for a moment and ran after Jessica.

"Hey! Wait up, Jessica don't run away from me!"

She stopped just before the entrance to the woods and her head bent down in a mournful movement.

Trey carefully took a couple of steps towards her, careful not to act too rashly.

"I feel like my heart has been ripped out," Jessica's voice was barely a whisper, "feel like it's been ripped out and then shoddily shoved back in. I feel like a part of me is missing."

Trey kept his mouth shut, stating that it might be the last fragments of her humanity she was missing. But Trey had nothing to base this on, he had been born lamia.

Trey reached out for Jessica's arm, to somehow pull her back maybe and comfort her.

But before his hand could grip her, a harsh cold wind rushed by, he looked around him rashly. The Sun was halfway down the sky, but today had been a flawlessly warm.

By the time he turned his attention back to Jessica, a dark figure was walking out of the thickness of the forest. Trey took in an intake of breath as genuine fear over took him and he tried to pull Jessica further back into the garden.

She shrugged him off and he heard a sad sigh reverberate from within her. "It's too late," she muttered, "walk away Trey, he's already here."

Trey had no idea who she was talking about until the stranger walked out of the shadows of the forest to show himself. Trey stilled, sensing danger lacing around the stranger.

The stranger smiled at him, his icy blue eyes sending silent tremors down Trey's spine. The stranger offered out his hand when he was beside Jessica.

Trey accepted it and shook the man's hand.

"My name is Avan Sequoia," the stranger supplied, "Jessica's soul mate."

The name said it all; the man was a legend that went down from parent to child down the centuries. Trey looked aside to Jessica's who had her eyes closed in silent torment.

Trey resisted reaching out to her, noticing that he was probably in enough danger already.

Another deep sigh resounded from Jessica and she turned around to Trey. "I think it would be best if you left us alone Trey. We have things to discuss."

Trey didn't want to, but from the possessive look on the Avan's face. Trey felt that it was best for his and the household's safety that he retreated back into the house.

Jessica heard the back door close firmly, that was when she turned to Avan.

"Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same question. You ran away from me Jessica."

She couldn't help let a sardonic chuckle escape her throat, "I'm guessing that wasn't part of our deal, right?"

"Don't start on that Jessica," Avan snapped, "not now."

"Why not – isn't that what our whole relationship is based on?"

Avan shook his head, "our relationship is based on the fact that you are my soul mate. The only person in the world whose soul is melded to suit mine exactly, Jessica, we need to talk."

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

Avan shrugged, his frame was somehow shadowing her from the harsh sun, his stance seemed protective, even if he didn't seem to realise it.

"Nothing has changed," he confessed, "all I wanted to do was keep you safe. Too many people have died in my lifetime Jessica and knowing what you are, I knew if I allowed myself to get too attached, I wouldn't be able to bear it if anything happened to you."

His words were costing Avan a lot, she knew that and she didn't even want to fathom how much energy it had taken him to cover such the short distance from his lodgings to where they were now in such a short time.

* * *

"I couldn't bear to get hurt again," she muttered, unsure if she was saying this to him or herself.

"Me neither," Avan admitted.

They had ended up upstairs, Jessica sitting gingerly on the end of her bed while Avan had sat himself in a chair beside the window.

They had both looked at each other expectantly, each waiting for the other to begin.

"I was hurt Jessica." Avan looked at her solemnly, "a very long time ago and ever since. Well, I've been like what I am now."

"What happened?"

Avan sighed, he didn't want to drudge up old memories but if it would bring an understanding between them, he would have walked across hot coals.

"Her name was Crystal. Her father was the best friend of mine. We saw Crystal a lot when we were growing up and then suddenly," he paused. "Her family was attacked by hunters. She was round mine at the time, which was the only reason she survived. My father moved her into our home after that."

"And you fell in love with her?" Her voice was soft, no accusation or anything of the kind. Jessica knew too well how this love business came out of nowhere.

"Yes, yes I did. But Zeke happened to as well. And well, I didn't realise until it was too late."

"But if you were in love with each other, how couldn't Zeke have realised it?"

Avan looked at her, wishing he could share his mind with her instead of tearing up these thoughts.

"We didn't tell anyone. That's why Zeke didn't know. We didn't want people criticising us and that included my family. This went on for months until…"

"Until what? What happened?"

"She fell pregnant and we had to tell the family, we had to get married and everything."

"What went wrong?"

"I got into the wrong sort of business Jessica. I wanted to provide for my family but didn't realise until it was too late that I was associating with the wrong sort of people and back chatting too many important ones."

He heaved a heavy sigh, "So they taught me a lesson, hoping to get rid of me for good."

Her eyes widened in appalled realisation, "Crystal?"

Avan stood up suddenly uncomfortable and turned away from her and looked out of the bay windows. "Yes, her and our unborn child. I found her in our home, the place that I had built for her especially. The place I saw generations of my family to come. I was so enraged; I left death in my wake once I found out why."

Avan felt a tentative touch on his shoulder. He turned around slowly, not wanting her to see the hurt in his eyes.

The sorrow in her eyes was what did it for him, he stood back shocked. Unable to move, her next actions amazed him even more.

Her arms came around his torso and her head rested against his shoulder in an embrace. "I am so sorry." She whispered against his ear.

It took a while for him to react. The strict voice in the back of his head was telling him to push her away, but his arms went around her anyway and he automatically bent his head down so he could breathe in the scent from her hair.

"I've been blind," Jessica muttered to him, "and I am ever so sorry."

Jessica's sudden change of attitude towards struck him and left him dumb and bereft of speech.

He did the only thing he could do, he held on tighter, burrowing his face into her hair and into the crevice of her neck and heaved a shuddering sigh.

The warmth of her felt familiar, like he belonged; like he had never left.

* * *

Trey looked back from Jessica to Avan, "So you are leaving, again?"

Jessica softly smiled at him, "for good this time. I've packed up my things and Avan is sending some of his men to collect it all next week sometime."

Trey frowned, knowingly risking a rebuke from Avan with his next words, "are you sure?"

Jessica just shook her head. "No, not at all. But well, what can I lose?"

Trey refrained from answering and looked over to Avan, "You look after her now, OK?"

Jessica scoffed at both of them, "like I'm unable to look after myself."

She hugged Trey goodbye and headed out the front, pushing Avan in front of her, stopping him from parading his masculinity in front of Trey. Jessica had already said goodbye to the others. Saying goodbye to Matilda had been the worst, Matilda had been the mother figure she had always lacked in her childhood.

Avan opened the door for her, he had called back to his people and by morning a limousine had been waiting outside for them.

He sat in the back with her, his arm circling around her waist as he drew her near to him. Since her act last night, he had found that he liked her touch far too much and even with them only hours from officially being a couple, he already saw one of the flaws it had carved within him.

"What will we tell Zeke?"

Jessica had wanted to broach upon this topic for ages but had been afraid of Avan's response.

"I will talk to him," Avan leant his head against hers. "I will explain it to him. I'm not about to let you near him for a while yet. Let's just say I have a jealous streak."

"I never slept with him, you know?"

"What?"

"Zeke," Jessica muttered, "I never slept with him, just wanted to make that clear."

Avan tried to hide his smile of relief, "well, thanks."

"What? For not sleeping with him or telling you?"

"Both," Avan softly kissed the top of her head. "Zeke will be angry enough at me, I'm just happy that at least he won't have that to throw at me."

"I am sorry about this mess."

Avan laughed, "You met Zeke before you met me Jessica, so correctly I should be stated as the mess. I'm the one who made everything difficult for you. I will sort everything out for you." He paused for a moment, "so I'm guessing you're going to tell Beni then?"

"Yeah, as soon as we get back. After I've rested and stuff. Beni can be a bit protective, at least he's already met you and I won't have to go through all the stuff I had to go through with…"

Jessica paused, realising what she had just stumbled into.

"You mean Zeke?" Avan supplied, "Jessica, don't feel bad about dating my brother. I'm not going to get jealous." Avan paused, "OK, maybe just a little but I'm comforted in the knowledge that you are mine so I have no need."

"This is going to be weird, isn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah it is. But we'll work through it and the best thing, everybody knows you so they'll be no snide remarks around work."

Jessica looked at him sceptically, "I think the fact that they already know me would really double the snide remarks, especially on how I kept reinforcing my opinion on how much I disliked you."

"Nah," Avan smiled, "once they know. They'll probably just see it as the whole kid on the school playground thing."

"What?"

"You know, when you were a kid, they say that the one pushing you over was probably doing it because he liked you."

Jessica could only scoff, "I'm not sure of this analogy, when kids were pushed over by any others in the training for the Company. There would be a whole war of one whole group against another. Which would normally only be sated by an execution by the Company so they could scare us into submission."

"You see, that is where your childhood and any other normal person's childhood differ. Yours being dysfunctional, I mean."

"Oh thank you, you really know how to charm a girl."

Avan laughed in response, "well that what comes with centuries of living. Now try to get some sleep my dear, I'm sure things are not going to be this quiet for a while where we're heading."

Jessica tried to keep the nervousness out of her voice, going back was more of a challenge than she had really concluded.

* * *


	20. Chapter 20 End

**Chapter Twenty**

"They're all staring at me."

Avan turned around to Jessica and tried to keep the smile from his face, "well yes. We have just proclaimed to them that we are together and after me turning you and you so publicly hating me. It isn't really a wonder to why all the looks."

"Can't we at least go where they can't stare?"

He couldn't keep the smile down this time and took her hand, "come on, let's go to my office."

Jessica yanked her hand out of his, a blush rushing to her face, "now you're making them stare all the more!"

Avan stopped and smirked, "oh come on, I was just holding your hand," he pulled her close and kissed her, "now that will make them stare even more."

Jessica battered at him, "you!"

His chuckle caressed her ear, "come on, let's go before your head explodes from all this embarrassment."

* * *

"… now the first thing that has to be discussed is the desertion of a major faction of our assassins, all of the group from 1986 have gone and Hira, one of our most skilled. Of course, we have had word from a source to say what has happened to them but our resources are not at their strongest at the moment and we need to let Avan Sequoia think that he has the upper hand…"

"Yes, I do believe that is where your problems lay." Tristan walked into the meeting room for the board of directors, the safest room of the compound.

They all stood up simultaneously, "Mr Gully…"

"Yes, yes, I know," Tristan walked further in, motioning them to sit back down, "I left my Company in your hands believing that I could trust you. But I have come back to find more trouble than I left in the first place."

"Mr Gully, we can explain…"

"I believe you can, but I have decided to ignore you on this point."

Tristan smiled at them as they all looked at him with bewilderment, he nonchalantly looked at his watch and smiled to himself as the fire alarm went off. The board of directors began to rise.

"No, no," he shouted above the noise, "sit back down, it's only a drill. It'll go off soon and everyone will file back in."

They all looked uneasily back to one another and sat back down.

Lucas Dalton, who sat nearest to him, stood up and faced him. "I do have to apologise, Mr Gully but these situations weren't expected."

"Yes, I do believe you in that and maybe it was my incompetence in not training you or preparing you enough for this. But you all have freewill and I did believe until I read the files on my desk at home, at least some common sense. You should have been expecting something like this since Ryan Leoman's desertion last year."

"We had thought that situation had been dealt with sir and I do apologise that things have gotten so extreme that you felt that you had to come down here yourself to sort it out. But we had been doing many things to combat any reactions that might act in response from that, in example..."

Tristan let the voice drift off and looked down at his watch, he had said to Elizabeth that he would give her ten minutes to get out of the building and then he would set the rest of the explosions off.

Time was ticking by and the deadline she had been given was ticking by.

"… but in result, none of this was expected, especially by Hira…"

"Do you think there may have been a way for you to avoid this?" Tristan ventured.

The room fell into silence and the deadline fell into its last minute. Tristan walked around the table.

"I have been in this business for a very long time, as you all know and in my retirement, I expected, well to retire. Not to be trekking back and forth to make sure things were being taken care of. But truthfully that isn't why I'm here…"

The occupants of the room looked at him interest.

"I am here to clear myself of my sins and start a new. New in the sense of my next life, have I ever informed any of you of my many life times?" he shook his head, "no of course not. But that's why I'm here. After a while you grow tired of life and sit back to contemplate what you have done. When I look back on my life, all I see is the Company and it's only been recently, but that's not what I want to be remembered for. I want to start my next life anew from this…"

Tristan removed something from his jacket and then slipped it off and let it fall to the floor to reveal the explosives taped around his torso.

The whole room gasped as they scrambled to their feet.

"No," Tristan muttered, "It's too late for that now lads"

And pressed the detonator in his hand.

* * *

Elizabeth gasped as she felt that fragile link inside herself snap once again. She closed her eyes and tried to hold herself together as the crowd of people around her panicked as the building started crumbling in front of them.

Turing around, Elizabeth left the sight around her and walked towards the car her and Tristan had driven in to get here. She knew he had been hiding something when she had said goodbye, but she had never imagined it would have been as serious as this.

She would yet again have to wait another lifetime until she could try to find him again.

Only one more time, she promised herself, after that she would stride into a pack of hunters and never walk the earth again.

* * *

Avan paced his office and looked at Eli again, "are you sure this information is correct?"

Eli nodded, "you can go and see the compound yourself, the building is now just rubble. Avan, this is a substantial change."

"Yes I know. Instead of the gradual fall, we now have many free agent assassins looking for work." Avan nodded to himself, "Make it known that we're in the market to sign some more up. If they're worth anything, they'll know our rep and come to us. Can you also call on Jessica and get her to come to my office?"

"Right on it Avan and good call on Jessica, I don't think she'll appreciate hearing it from anyone else."

"It's the least I can do."

Turning away from Eli, Avan sat himself down at the desk and watched as his friend left the room.

Something churned in his stomach, this was for the good, he kept telling himself. But now that ASG had fallen, Jessica's friends could come back from the enclave and then what would keep her from walking away from him, like she did last time?

Jessica skipped in and her face shone when she saw him sitting behind the desk and his heart thudded and seemed to fall. Pulling himself to his feet he smiled at her and motioned to the sofa, "something's happened."

And like the sun falling, Jessica's face blanked, the face ASG created masked her face.

"What?"

Refusing to sit, she looked at Avan like they were strangers. He reached for her and she shrugged him away.

"It ASG," reluctantly, he pulled the air from his lungs for his next words. "They're gone, from what's been heard all the directors are dead. There is no longer any foundation for what was."

"The assassins?"

"All a live but fragmented."

Jessica gasped a breath and nodded and looked at him, the mask once again fallen, "good, that's good," and within the next hear beat she was within Avan's arms. "Are they really gone?"

"Yes, all gone, they can't hurt you no more, I promise."

And he could feel the tears soak through his shirt.

"Do you want me to get them home?"

They both know of who they spoke.

"Please."

He waited until she had calmed and sat her on the small sofa before he made the crucial call to bring Jessica's friends back to her.

* * *

He watched warily from the balcony over hanging the hall connecting to the front door, Jessica was already down there, restlessly pacing. She had been doing that for the last hour, since Avan had told her that their plane had landed.

Hiding his emotions as he was so adapt at now, he watched the beauty of his soul mate pace back and forth, her black curls fanning out behind her. He had known in the last few weeks that she had yearned for the company of her friends, but he had secretly gloried in the fact that he had her to himself.

Now he had to share and maybe even lose her to them.

Would she leave him? It was only last night that she had curled up to them in their bed and whispered words of love. But they had her twelve years before he even known her, he bit his bottom lip desperate for this moment to be over.

He could handle it if he just knew. He laughed at the sudden thought.

He was lying to himself; he knew he would never be able to handle it. He loved Jessica more than he had any comprehension of, his chest started to ache even from the thought of losing her.

He took the trip down the staircase slowly, trying to avoid the reality of the situation. He wanted to grab hold of her and run as far away as he could, from the world and everything in it.

His beauty spun around at his approach and heaved a troubled sigh and automatically rushed into his embrace.

Closing his eyes he touched his lips to her forehead, "Shhh," he soothed, bringing up his hands he stroked them through her hair. Grasping what he could get from her while she was still around.

"I love you Jess."

Her jungle eyes came up to meet his and smiled, "I…" And with that the door flew open behind them.

* * *

Jessica twisted in Avan's embrace and stiffened.

"Ryan?" her voice stark against the background noise of the room, recognising the name Avan hissed in anger, tightening his hold on his soul mate.

"Hello Sweetie," Ryan smirked as he walked into the room, his eyes darted to their embrace, the silver darkening to molten granite. "Long time no see."

Jessica shrugged her way out of Avan's embrace, linking her fingers with his to keep contact and to comfort him in some way and in truth just herself.

"What are you doing here?"

Stopping a few feet away from them Ryan surveyed Avan with a death glare, "I came to claim what is mine. Jess, don't you think it's about time we admitted the truth and walk out of here together?"

She felt Avan lurch forward so she held him in a death grip to stop him, she pulled him back and put her head next to his and whispered in his ears, "no fighting ok? If there's going to be blood spilt, I'll be the one taking joy in doing it."

She flung herself away from Avan and stalked towards Ryan, "You're such an ass. Do you really think after all this time that I would just come running back into your arms? You mean nothing to me Ryan, even your status as a friend has gone or have you conveniently forgotten how you betrayed us all?"

"Like you and the rest haven't," he came enough so she could feel the warmth of his breath, "or didn't you think I would hear of your desertion?"

Jessica scoffed, "I didn't desert Ryan, my contract was sold on and the others? They deserted because Mia needed them, needed us. Not for their own personal gain."

"I'm not leaving here without you."

Jessica looked over him and sighed. He looked exactly the same, just a little bit older. Since he had left she had gone through so much and he just expected to come back and start off from where they left off.

"Then I'll make you leave," with those words she turned around and joined Avan, grabbing one of his arms and twining it around her. She turned to face Ryan. "Avan has his own assassination department; I'm sure with some snappy telepathy they come emerging out of the shadows."

Ryan laughed, "Because I'm not one and would in no way be able to defend myself?"

"No," A voice coldly echoed behind him, the whole room turned around to the entrance as Hira led the rest through the front entrance. "That would be us as well against you, what can we say? We just don't like you."

Gunner, Mia, Nic, Cherry, Lalia, Mike, Don and Zareh gathered in behind Hira, the menace flooding from them was palpable.

Ryan defensively took a step back and for the first time since he entered, his eyes warily watched the others.

"I would take that as your signal to leave, wouldn't you Mr Leoman?" Avan's voice was hard, the calm noticeable forced.

* * *

And then an eerie calm glazed over Ryan's face, his eyes frighteningly focused.

"Well then," he declared. A reckless smile on his face that took Jessica way back when he had been the centre of her world, "If I can't have you Jess, no one will…"

And then Avan's world slowed critically slow as Ryan pulled out the gun and aimed it for Jessica. Where her back was against his chest and his arm casually around her waist he tried to twist her around so he could shield her with his own body.

Screams echoed around the room as Avan felt the impact of the bullets ricochet through him and then the weight of Jessica's body in his arms as she slumped down.

Rolling down with her, Avan gently placing her on the ground beneath him, what he saw then broke his world. Two bullet wounds lay in his lover's chest, her life blood seeping to the ground around them.

"Baby, baby, look at me," Avan's whole body shook with pain, but he couldn't take his eyes off Jessica, didn't want to face the truth that he might lose another person that he loved, "please baby, open your eyes."

She sharply took in a gasp of air and looked up at him, "hurts," she hissed. The pain then over took her and her body shuddered from the wooden bullets poison. She forcibly paused and focused on Avan. "I love you."

"Hey! None of that now, you'll be fine, you…" pain yet again racked his body. "baby, you're just going to be fine."

Her hand came up to stroke his face and then fell in shock and dropped to his stomach… "oh no," was all she could breathe.

Avan followed her gaze down, the same two bullets had ripped through his chest, his blood seeping down him and mixing with her own.

He gathered her more firmly against himself and propped themselves against the bottom of the staircase, his back leaning against the first step and her head resting of his chest, her now frail hands on his stomach, trying to put pressure on the bleeding.

For an instant Avan's focused back on the room, with Ryan's limp body in the corner, Jessica's friends hovered around them, magic flowing out of them but hitting against an invisible shield around Jessica.

Eli kneeling down next to him and his hand laying over Jessica's own fragile hand to somehow stop his bleeding. Eli looked from Jessica to Avan and let his voice go down to a whisper.

"We can't save her Avan, the spells that protect her are blocking the healing spells and as long as she's lying next to you, we can't heal you either."

Jessica's limp body starting shuffling away from him, but he held on with all the strength he had left. His hard stare hit Eli's bleak expression, "I can't live if she dies Eli, better this way."

"No, no," Jessica's muttered, all of her strength had left her and all she could do was hate herself with how she couldn't even save her own soul mate.

Avan looked down at her, "yes… always yes. Where you go, I go…"

Tears flooded from Jessica's eyes as she lay in her lover's arms. Her own and Avan's mixing with their blood that lay around them.

Jessica was the one who died first, her last shuddering breath a waking nightmare for her lover that lay barely there beside her. Avan followed shortly after his agonised call.

And then silence fell across the hall.

Fin.

* * *

And that's it - I know that there isn't much and I have finished it off really quicky and abruptly to say the least. Feed back would be appreciated!

One last note - this last Chapter was done in memory of my dear friend Donna and her girlfriend Jen who were killed in a car crash on 23rd November - If it wasn't for the Lorry driver falling asleep at the wheel, they would have both be alive today and Donna would have asked Jen to marry her this week, just like she planned and they would have safely moved to Holland like they were meant to (sorry, end of rant, I promise)

Just to say - I miss you so much Donna, it's just not the same without you...


End file.
